Comments on: On Shaky Ground

By: Lori

Lori — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 12:09:26 +0000

Sara, sounds pretty good! Any time they send an "encouraging" response, it means you've connected and there's a good chance. Good luck!

Kathy, I hear you. And I think you're totally right - you'll be better off. Watch other things open up for you the minute that one disappears.

Funding issues can't be worked out too well. I wish they could be, but there are only so many concessions we can make, right? I'd rather they drop me than keep me hanging on and not pay in the end.

By: Irreverent Freelancer

Irreverent Freelancer — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:53:35 +0000

I've definitely got one of these types on my hands right now: "One is a funding issue – a perennial funding issue. That one will die of monetary consumption soon, no doubt." The writing's been on the wall for a while. Although the idea of losing what once was a reliable and lucrative monthly gig pains me slightly, they've been so slow paying over the last nine months that I'm almost better off.

By: Sara

Sara — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 23:07:18 +0000

My week is going pretty well. I was supposed to start moving forward on some work for a new client, but that's been rescheduled. I have another call tomorrow to talk about a regular blogging gig. Also received a very nice, encouraging response from an editor to my follow-up email, so I'm sending my samples. All in all, not bad!

By: Lori

Lori — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 22:51:40 +0000

Wendy, I'm right behind you. Carry-on luggage only!

By: Wendy

Wendy — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:22:04 +0000

For me, my biggest pain in the a** is our insurance package. Hubby's workplace changed to a different package and my ongoing meds and my specialist visits have gone skyhigh from the price I paid before this all went down.

For the last month, I've been filling out tons of forms for various support systems to help pick up some of the slack. The last week has been spent playing phone tag with some of theses reps to ask and answer questions. When this is over, I'm taking a vacation.

By: Lori

Lori — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:14:13 +0000

Paula, I feel your pain. Actually, Tivo (which worked error-free for us for four years) comes with a "lifetime" subscription option of $299. It's for the life of the unit. Or you can opt for monthly service, which I think is around $14.99 or something.

Anne, I need to hire you as my personal cheerleader/advertising guru. :)

By: Anne Wayman

Anne Wayman — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 18:22:16 +0000

First of all Lori, the clients that disappear will be sorry!

Hard drives.... arghhhh

and you demonstrate why ongoing marketing is a must.

By: Paula

Paula — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:53:19 +0000

With so many projects, I don't know when Devon will find time for the pottery workshop (which sounds like fun).

My week's been going well. And as much as I'd love to feel your TiVo pain, Lori, the TV-writer that I am has somehow managed life with no DVR. It's getting frustrating now, since my cable carrier (the only one in town) is shifting everything over to digital cable, and their new digital cable boxes only allow VCRs to record the channel currently on the cable box. Kind of defeats the purpose of VCRs. ARGH! Upgrading to their DVR package would double my cable bill. Sure, it's a tax write-off for me, but there are months when I might not have that extra money to cover it. Plus, it's the principle of the thing: They're decreasing services while hiking prices to force long-time subscribers into paying more just to regain channels (and recording options) the company has intentionally stripped from the lower-end plans.

Sorry. I start ranting when I discuss cable. Yes. I wrote a very pointed letter to my carrier's new regional VP of "Customer Care." The first thing I pointed out? I'm a SUBSCRIBER, not a customer. Subscribers have real monetary value that mere customers simply don't possess.

Sorry - started ranting again. At least I didn't get started on how their representatives mislead the subscribers....

Somehow I doubt my complaint letter will get them to upgrade me to the DVR service for free.

By: Lori

Lori — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:07:09 +0000

I like that you're treating yourself, Devon. Sounds like things are going great for you!

By: Devon Ellington

Devon Ellington — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:57:56 +0000

Most of my week's been caught up teaching the two workshops. I got a royalty check from one of the anthologies, which probably should go towards bills, but I'm treating myself to a pottery workshop instead. I've got to dig in and cough up two full-length plays in the next two weeks for my producer, and Confidential Job #1 just sent me assignments due on consecutive days, so that'll be a bigger invoice. Considering how few short turnaround projects I've worked on the past two months, that's a relief.

I've got the steampunk novella to finish, am juggling several fiction projects, and have those 15 pages' worth of markets to which to send pitches, so I'm trying to sort it all out.

If I can maintain stamina and organization, it'll be fine. Otherwise, I'm screwed.