I’ve settled into a relatively productive rut that’s not truly GTD compliant but generally works for me.
- a pack of 3×5 cards and a pen go with me constantly for immediate capture;
- I’m using the application “Things” (beta, for Mac) to track projects and such. This app will require purchase in October and I’m still deciding whether it’s the best tool. They keep fixing things and adding features so it might be. The only thing that would make it better is if I could enter from multiple workstations… I think that’s at least a potential of their app due to it’s file structure but I don’t think it’s implemented yet.
- I have absolutely no mechanism for weekly review though. I just am doing all the immediate tasks with no larger picture – or actually, the larger picture remains only implicit;
- The work table I have at home is a shameful mess. There are “in” boxes there somewhere!
- the worst confession is that currently, I store my “work” lists on my work computer and my “home” lists on my home computer. For the most part, this works because both contexts are physically and functionally separate but when I’m entering info for “home” sometimes I remember items for work and vice versa.
Aug 23, 10:49PM PDT | 0 comments
I can’t remember all of what I’ve been reading recently so I’ll just mention the highlights. I’m half way through “Let the Right One In” a charming vampire novel by Lindqvuist. It’s been made into a movie and I want to read the book before I see the film.
Before that it was “Daughter of Hounds” by Caitlyn Kiernan which was simply magnificent, though it would make more sense to folks probably if they knew what some of those characters had done previously in the novels “Threshold” and “Low Red Moon.” Kiernan is a wonderful horror writer who’s been likened to H.P.Lovecraft but I find her work far more rich.
Next up, I’m hoping to read a few of the Ian Fleming James Bond series for a course I’m helping to teach. I read some of the series as a kid but it struck me that spy novels have a moral vacuum in their worldview at least as opposed to the mystery novels I was also reading at the time. It’ll be interesting to see how they read as an adult.
Hmmm. Seems like this goal is done.
Aug 23, 10:36PM PDT | 0 comments
Since last I wrote, I’ve submitted two more stories. One I’ve already received a “No Thank You” on and the other one I’m still awaiting response. I’ve got another story just about ready to go too. I always want to have at least one mss “in the mail.”
I discovered two very useful resources: duotrope.com and ralan.org (I hope I have those URLs correct) They’re on-line lists of markets for writing. Both of these are weighted toward speculative fiction though they include other publications as well. What I love is the immediacy. They track the actual response rates of each magazine as well as the current status. It used to be as much effort figuring out who to send something to as it was writing the piece in the first place.
Aug 23, 10:23PM PDT | 0 comments
I'm doing 38 things
