Making an effort

Part of my September resolutions, aside from blogging on a regular (albeit light) schedule was to make an effort to get out there and join the writing community. "Wow, Manhattan," people from points West say, "you must know a lot of people in the publishing world!" 

Er, no. Not really. Sure, I met quite a few people at the Southampton Writers and Algonquin conferences I attended last year. And yeah, here and there through the kids' school or whatever. But in terms of hanging out with writerly types? No. (Finance and lawyer-ly people, on the other hand? Plenty.)

My first baby step into this strange and wondrous new world was to find a real live, in-person critique group. Not words on a screen and user names--PEOPLE. Okay, done. We haven't met yet, so I've no idea how this will go. Perhaps terribly. But I'm getting out there! 

My second step I completed today: I joined a writer's workspace. This means that a few times a week, I actually have to change into pants, pack my laptop, board a subway, and LEAVE THE UPPER EAST SIDE OMG. 

The space I joined is just 3 stops on the express train and 2 blocks over, so, yes, convenient. It's really just a loft filled with desks and cubicles writers can use, with a kitchen and tables down the hall. Being as noiseless as possible is strictly enforced. I took a seat and listened for a while--nothing but taps on a keyboard. I think I can ignore that. I'll try not to get too competitive with the fast typists. 

There is a place to chat (softly) and they run a bunch of evening discussions and member readings at the KGB Bar, which just, face it, sounds awesome. Is the bar filled with spies? Arty people smoking the hookah? Who knows! Guess I'll find out soon enough.

Writing is such a solitary activity and sometimes it makes me a little crazy. Like I forget how to be social. So I think I need this. How about you? Does your work/hobby draw you away from the world? How do you deal?

September Resolutions

Ah, September. My favorite month of the year. It always feels like the beginning of the calendar and the best time for resolutions, more so than January 1. New Year's resolutions have never worked for me. So why not try it this way? While I'd love to resolve to lose those last five pounds, become more organized, or learn to make baklava, I think I'll stick with something fairly simple: to maintain a regular blogging schedule. 

Up to now, I've been sort of a seat-of-my-pants, blog-when-I-feel-like-it kind of girl. The problem with that is that I can go for a loooong stretch between feeling like blogging. Stuff gets in the way. I can't update every day (trust me, you do not want to hear that level of minutiae.) So I'm going to shoot for twice per week, on Tuesdays and Fridays. 

It's still Tuesday! This one counts!

See you Friday.

Getting it together

Yeah, I know. I've been a crappy blogger. Update your blog, Wendy! Slacker. Truth is, it's been pretty slow around here and although I'm a little sad summer is ending, I'm happy to be getting back to a fall schedule soon. As some of you may know, I spend the majority of the summer outside of New York City. I'm SO happy to be going back this week. 

So I've been trying to get my sh*t together long distance. Not the easiest thing, but that's okay. To me, September feels like the beginning of the year. Maybe that's because NYC is that way, or maybe it's just because my kids are on a school calendar. I dunno. But I did find some helpful School Year Resolutions over at To Pass the Torch. 

I don't really have any kid-related resolutions, being that I'm the perfect mom (Ha!), but I do have some writing and non-writing related resolutions for myself:

1. Even though I haven't started my new WIP, write every day. Even if it's just a few words on a flash fiction piece. It makes me feel productive.

2. Jump in head first about getting an agent. Quit making excuses for putting it off. 

3. Say "no" more often when asked to volunteer for something I don't really want to do. 

4. Make more of an effort to get together with friends. Sometimes I can't be bothered, but it really does keep me sane. 

That's enough for me. How about you?