My whiteboard is uncrowded. The only concrete looming deadlines I have penned onto it are for the Apex Digest story contest (Oct. 15th) and Storytellers Unplugged (Oct. 17). I have the story written for the contest and have only to revise it a few more dozen times until it’s ready to submit. For my SU slot I will be posting another story, already written, podcast recorded. So the work is mostly done. This morning I sent in a story to an October 1 deadline market and yesterday I sent in another, so I was able to wipe those off the board.
I have about six short stories on my submissions list that are lying fallow, so I think I’ll take a look at them, tweak them as necessary, and get them into circulation by the end of the coming weekend. Then I’ll be all set for a while. I think it’s time to get back to novel writing, and time to consult with my agent about what he thinks I should concentrate on next. There’s something about this time of year that gets me in novel writing mood. I’ve participated in NaNoWriMo two years running, but I suspect I won’t this year. (I said that last year, too, and I ended up joining in.)
The central story on Criminal Minds last night was pretty good. Serial killer stalking small campus coupled with copy-cat killing that confuses things, though the copycat killer character seemed to materialize out of thin air. She might have been mentioned earlier, but if so I missed it. I could have done without the wraparound story, though. I know they think they have to write Mandy Patinkin out con gusto but I didn’t think his hand-wringing, plaintive self-flagellation served him or the story well. Also, the bitch-lady who has it in for Hotchner for no apparent reason—gag me with a spoon. Put a bullet in Patinkin and move on. Seriously.
Boston Legal got off to a good start. Interesting new characters—though I don’t see what Alan sees in the prosecutor he banged in the elevator (twice). Seems like she’ll be a new Crane, Poole, Schmidt employee, though. Good for Clarence for speaking up and actually getting through to John Laroquette’s character, and good for Shirley for finding a bedmate. The murder trial should be interesting, too.
