Which is to say, now that the book is done, what do I do with my time?
For the immediate future, I’m doing more eHows, and I’ll start training as a census enumerator next week, which will bring in a few weeks of added pay.
Fiction-wise, I’m focusing on the Applied Science series. Between the move and the book, I’m nowhere near where I should be on stories four through seven, and getting them finished (in the case of five and six, getting the first draft done) is a top priority.
And this weekend and a couple more times this month, I’m participating in Coyote Con, an online virtual SF convention sponsored by Drollerie Press. I’ll be one of the speakers for Friday night’s session on Writing Politically (something I’ve done the greater part of my life) and Sunday’s 2pm session on creating your own religion (in fiction, not in the real world).
For the long run? Well, I’m not sure. I definitely want to bring in more money (and need to, given my COBRA insurance premiums) and I definitely want to spend more time on fiction—not only the Applied Science series, but other stories, Brain From Outer Space, more active marketing of the stories I’ve already written.
Beyond that, it’s hard to say. One of the local papers has said they’d consider any pitches I want to make, but I don’t know the area enough to have anything yet. I’d like to send out more article queries—an obvious way to make more money—and I’d love to have a couple more steady freelancing gigs like eHow. I’ve acquired a couple, but I’d need more to make a real go of freelancing.
And on the other hand, a steady day job would be useful if only to provide health insurance at a lower rate. Even a non-writing job that paid less than the eHow rate might be profitable when the insurance is factored in, though it means less time for writing (and ultimately, less time to snuggle with TYG).
So I guess it’s safe to say that while I know what I want, I don’t know how it’s going to play out. Which is unsettling, but I think I can live with it for now.


