Now that I have returned from my fabulous ski trip to Utah, I am faced with the question of where to sell a story about it. I know I can do it. It’s just going to mean lots of soul-sucking query-letter writing and horrible drafts and false starts.

But being a writer sucks, we already know that, so let’s move on.

I also need to get ready to teach my blogging class this summer, which will be a whole new challenge. I think I’ll focus on the writing aspect. What kind of writing catches (and keeps) people’s attention in the blogosphere? There’s a lot of techie stuff to know with blogging these days too but for one, I don’t know much about it, and two, blogging - in it’s purest form - is for the unwashed masses who know nothing about HTML. But I do want to help my students promote their blogs so I’ll need to touch on some ways to do that.

I’m in the midst of defining my own relationship with the blogosphere, as you know. Even today, people still beg for Breakup-Babe-style posts about my love life. And even today, I find it hard to write about anything BUT my love life. So I don’t blog about much of anything. I do have a “secret” blog that I’ve started about my outdoor adventures. Which seems a good way to segue back into the travel writing thing. One of these days I will make it public or else just start blogging about that stuff more on SparklySparkly.

Because the bottom line is, blogging is addictive. I’m still not over my addiction to Breakup Babe, the blog that won me fame and fortune and a big fat nice modest novel contract. I blog elsewhere, trying to fill that need, but alas, there is still a ragged hole in my existence. (And an obvious lack of sleep leading to maudlin similes).

Bye.

Rebecca

My life continues to be in a weird limbo state but things are shaking and moving. (In some ways. In other ways, they are still as a pond in a Zen garden.). I’m starting the freelance writing thing again. The rusty wheels are creaking into motion with ideas. I’ve even scored myself an assignment (of sorts) to go to this ski seminar and write about it.

In other writing news, I had lots of fun providing the “literary entertainment” at Centerpoint’s recent fundraiser and posing as a “writing professional” ontheir career panel on writing last week. Any time I sit in front of an audience of hopeful writers, my heart goes out to them. Writing=pain! Trying to be a writer=pain! Even when you’re a rich and famous writer like me=pain! So I want to do everything I can to help them.

My muse, however, has been hiding out. I’ve gotten sick of tracking that b*tch down, so whatever. Let her stay in her palapa in Mexico or wherever she is, drinking Negro Modelos and flirting with the help. There are plenty of things I can write without her - like blog entries and query letters. And extremely uninspired first-person essays (another recent project of mine.) Here’s a sneak peek from a never-to-be-published essay about my trip to Patagonia last year:

“So I’d reluctantly let myself be dragged out of the tent into this wild day and now I was regretting it. I comforted myself with the thought that the group of Chileans we passed on our way up here would probably die before us. Several members of their party were wearing jeans and they were moving slowly. We, on the other hand, were clothed in the latest in REI outerwear, but were were still going to die. I was sure of it. And we wouldn’t even get a good view in the process. ”

I bet you can hardly wait for the rest now can you? Do we die or or don’t we?? Your guess is as good as mine. So stay tuned for the next episode of Rebecca Awaits Her Muse and Meanwhile Writes Crappy Personal Essays!

xo
Rebecca