Went to see The Break-Up Saturday. Faithful readers may recall that last July/August I spent several days riding up and down Michigan Avenue on Vince Vaughn’s tour bus, and then returned in March to be an extra in the final scene. Well. That bus scene is not in the movie. AT ALL. And, the credits start to roll before Jennifer A reaches the corner I’m standing on. Sigh.
Now I await the DVD release date to see if the deleted scenes include the one I worked on.

The scene is funny… Vince as Gary gives his tour of Chicago, talking about Mrs. O’Leary’s cow and the Water Tower. Then he launches into a discourse about his ex-girlfriend (Jennfer as Brooke). After a few takes, his improvisations made it hard not to laugh.

On the other hand, yesterday I got hired to work on a documentary. One day for sure with at least one more day likely.

Today’s motto: don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

The view last night from my condo. It’s relaxing and soothing. Those of us whose lives often revolve around waiting need to find ways to enjoy and appreciate the journey. Logically we know that sitting by the phone or checking our e-mail every five minutes won’t make editor, agent or job application responses come any faster, yet the urge is there.

We want the world to acknowledge our efforts. To recognize that we are talented, creative individuals who deserve to be published, represented, hired. Yet only rarely do the recipients of our resumes, submissions and queries operate at our hoped for pace.

Yesterday I spoke with two friends also mired in waitingland. One had submitted over a month ago to an agent who’d loved her pitch. For a few days she actually belived the agent would grab her manuscript as soon as it arrived and read it immediately. She’d forgotten that in person enthusiasm doesn’t often translate into speedy replies. Phone tag with one company and a cancelled, not yet rescheduled interview by another frustrated a friend who naturally wanted potential employers to share his readiness to work.

Comments welcome on ways to stay on course and remain productive instead of allowing the emotions of waiting to divert us.

Last night in Chicago was the official premiere of the Jennifer Anniston/Vince Vaughn movie, The Break-Up. (Yes, they were both there, according to the newspaper.)

Friday the movie opens for the general public. Why am I waiting for this day? Because I spent several days working as an extra and have been waiting since last summer to find out if I can be seen or not.

Vince Vaughn plays a Chicago tour bus company owner. My main role was as a tourist riding his bus. The other 35 passengers and I spent hours riding up and around Michigan Avenue with a police escort, with and without Vince doing his lines. I also filmed one day at the end of March…apparently the ending needed to be reshot. Even though it was unseasonably warm here and all civilians were in shorts and sandals, us hard-working extras slogged about for the entire day amidst fake snow, wearing our heaviest winter attire.

I know I’m on film, because I saw a still when, a month after the first two days of riding on the bus, we were called back to film another day and had to be sure our clothes matched exactly. But will shots with me in them make it into the final film? In a few days, I’ll know for sure…

I recently returned from the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention in Daytona Beach, where the official announcement was made of the winner of American Title II. Unfortunately, it’s not my novel, FOLLOW YOUR HEART. Close but no cigar.

But I still had a great time. Check out the ocean view from my room! I had breakfast with 6 other AT II finalists and last year’s winner for JANE MILLIONAIRE, Janice Lynn, and two editors and the publisher of RT. I lunched with Dorchester’s direct marketing manager. I met with Borders/Waldenbooks romance buyer, caught up with and received sympathetic hugs from numerous friends, brought home a bunch of free books and was invited on stage during the awards lunch with the other finalists to say our names and book titles and share the moment with winner Gerri Russell.

The good news: Dorchester is still considering FYH.
And we AT II finalists now have a blog: titlewave.blogspot.com, where we’ll post news of our paths to publication now that the contest is over.

Huge thanks to everyone who voted for FYH.

Usually a most loquacious sort, this week I’m in a holding pattern that renders me silent. They say patience is a virtue, but that doesn’t make having it any easier. Because those who are gainfully unemployed can spend an inordinate amount of time waiting…for contest results, word on auditions I’ve had or submitted to, replies from agents and editors who have requested submissions, for the start of an online class I hope will help with a work in progress.

In the meantime, I rely on discipline and drive to move forward, live in the moment and write new pages.

This week two of my manuscripts, THE BETTER BRIDE, a medieval, and my contemporary, MY LIFE AS A STAR, finaled in contests!

In the romance writing world, both published and unpublished authors can enter various contests. Most are offered by individual RWA chapters, others are sponsored by publishers or authors.

Here’s a brief overview of reasons for entering: To get: 1) feedback from first round judges 2) if your entry makes it to the final round, recognition in online groups, the national romance writer magazine, and from editors and agents who judge the final round. These editors and agents can, and do, ask to see more material from finalists. 3) gain credentials for query letters and pitches. So far, four of my manuscripts have finaled in a total of 16 contests. 4) validation that someone, somewhere, likes your work.

Reasons not to enter: 1) Money. Most contests have entry fees ranging from $10 to $30. Though there are some e-contests, many require several copies of the entry and also return postage. 2) Contests often have different requirements…various page limits or requiring a one page or two page synopsis. If you don’t already have what that contest wants, you can spend a lot of time reworking your manuscipt…time away from writing new pages. 3) Luck of the draw. Sometimes, one judge will give my entry a perfect score, say a 60, while the other gives it a 37. The night before I found out FOLLOW YOUR HEART finaled in American Title II, where editors from Dorchester selected the finalists, the same material recieved horrible scores from a chapter contest. So you never know. 4) Feedback. On occasion, I’ll enter a work in progress just to get reactions. Judges may give low scores without backing them up with reasons, or conversely high scores without sharing what resonated with them.

Next post: choosing which contests and which manuscripts to enter.

It’s spring, and romance writer conferences are in the air! 1) Attended the Desert Dreams conference in Arizona where I had the opportunity to talk with assorted editors and agents. 2) My chapter, Chicago-North RWA, had its Spring Fling conference this weekend. Guests included best selling authors Jennifer Crusie/Bob Mayer, Alesia Holliday, Mary Alice Monroe, agents Nadia Cornier and Nephele Tempest, and editors Margaret Marbury (Red Dress Ink & MIRA) and Rose Hilliard (St. Martins). Speakers offered humor, motivation and practical advice. We had attendees from as far away as Washington state and Florida.

I’d been hearing that the historical market was making a comeback, but the message this weekend seemed to be only sexy historicals.

I still get MANY questions about how I structure and fill my Gainfully Unemployed days. As when I had a day job, I make a list of tasks I need to accomplish on a given day and rank them in order of importance. Then I work my way through the list. Do I have enough to do? Yes. Is it sometimes challenging to stay motivated and disciplined? Yes. But I’d think that even those with bosses looking over their shoulders have days where their to do list is daunting and they’d rather be outside appreciating the weather…

Today I’m going to work as an extra again…for a British film shot documentary style. The extras casting director had called for other days but I wasn’t available. So she called again yesterday, for this afternoon.

Extras need both a flexible schedule and wardrobe. They also need to be able to carry overstuffed backpacks/garment bags or wheel a suitcase, make their way to the filming location and have lots of stamina. The shoot can go 12 hours or more….call time is 1:30PM, so I could be there until 1:30AM or even later.

I’m going to be an on-camera reporter, and need to bring conservative suits and upscale casual options, plus suitable outerwear. As usual, no red or white or loud prints.

Fortunately the weather is nice, so I shouldn’t freeze/boil doing exterior shots.

Everyone with a day job has employer-set goals. You need to sell this many widgets, bill this many hours, reach that target, attend these meetings. At the company I worked for, all kinds of goals were handed down from those on high, who presumably put significant analysis and effort into goal setting and measurement.

But the Gainfully Unemployed must make their own goals and schedule. So how much is enough? What tasks do I need to accomplish, how many hours do I need to work each week to feel I’ve made enough progress? How do I assess that progress? What is a reasonable percentage of the day to spend on pursuits that aren’t income producing, such as singing in a choir, volunteering as an adult literacy tutor, judging writing contests or working on committees? How much “time off” do I deserve?

I’m still working on the answers.

Zipped down to the Dreamin’ in Dallas conference…appx 180 writers gathered to network, enjoy a booksigning and learn about the craft and business of writing romance novels.

Are historicals coming back? Is chicklit in a slump? The grapevine says yes to both, again proving the cyclical nature of the market. Most everyone advises “write the book of your heart,” but will that leave you on the cutting edge or behind it?

Met a lot of “newbies,” those fresh-faced writers who, no matter their age, have just gotten on the romance writing roller coaster and still have stars in their eyes. Who knows, maybe they will sell as a result of their first editor/agent appointment?