Usually I am very disciplined about getting my work done, even with few official deadlines and no boss looking over my shoulder. But these past two weeks, I have been a dawdler.

Instead of starting a new book or writing more on any I’ve started, I’ve gone out 12 evenings in a row. I’ve put away my summer clothes. I’ve cleaned my condo. Done laundry. Talked on the phone. Zoomed around the Internet.

Last week I scheduled something every day at lunch, which broke up the day in a funny way.

What do you do to get back on track?

Maybe I just needed a break, some time to refill the well. Or maybe I just don’t feel like I’m really working unless I’m immersed in a book and turning out lots of new pages. Maybe I should acknowledge that there are different forms of work: I performed in an improv show Monday night, was an extra for almost 12 hours on Tuesday, finished a non-paying article before deadline, sent out a bunch of auditions, sent voiceover Web site updates to my designer…but I still wonder, is that enough?

Faithful readers may recall that one of my manuscripts was runner up in the national 2006 American Title II contest. Yes, it’s quite an accomplishment to have my manuscript chosen as a finalist by a publisher in the first place, and additional accomplishments to have survived several rounds of online voting. But–it placed second, nonetheless.

I seem to be collecting “close but no cigar” tales.

I ran for Region 2 Director on the national Romance Writers of America board. And lost…by .9%. That’s right. Not even 1%, .9. Or 19 votes.
In this race, as in ATII…was it my fault? Should/could I have worked harder to secure votes? Did more people mean to vote, but just not get around to it, as with political elections? Or did those 19 members vote for the winner because she is a multi-published author, while I continue to aspire?

And in the voiceover world, 1) I’m in the final 2 to narrate a DVD tour of a hospital. The director wanted me to record an additional section of the script, which I did Monday….no news. 2) Also this week was “in the lead” for a critical role in a computer game, with a voice “perfect” for the character. They also asked me to record a short second audition. But they found someone “not as good” who will do the role for free.

Sigh. It’s wonderful and encouraging that my work and I are good enough to consider so seriously. On the other hand, it’s also frustrating to come so close and not prevail. And not know what to do differently to win the next time.

I believe if you say you’re going to do something by a certain time, you should do it. Or at the very least, communicate about why you can’t meet the deadline and reschedule.

Cases in point:

1) Many man meetings (I won’t even call them ‘dates’. IMO a date is something you look forward to vs. an attempt to see if there could be something to look forward to) these days start off with only a day and vague time period. I’m a planner, and find this lack of specificity a bit frustrating.
I was supposed to meet a guy for coffee last Wednesday morning. He’d said he’d call to finalize. Never heard a word.
Am supposed to have lunch with another guy today, who also said he’d call to set a time. Will he? Less than two hours until noon…

2) I was told (in writing) that I’d hear back on something important by the beginning of last week. So, expectations raised, I waited. Monday went by. Tuesday. Wednesday…nothing. I called Thursday afternoon. And learned it would be two more weeks.
Am I getting the runaround or is this a legitimate mixup/miscommunication?
Is it that difficult to send a quick e-mail if plans, schedules or intent change?

The morals of the story:
Don’t make promises you can’t keep. Conversely, don’t expect others to actually do what they say.

Some good news: the beginning of my time travel manuscript finaled in a contest and goes to an editor or agent for final round judging…

Everyone has a different honesty meter. I’m the kind of person who’d return an extra penny a store clerk might hand me. I’m just not comfortable with any kind of dishonesty. But many people feel differently.

An example:

Had lunch with a guy I’d met at an event where the upper age limit was 48. So attendees could logically conclude everyone there was 48 or younger. The guy told me his age…not 48. Not 49. Not 50. 54! Is that fair? Is an untruth a good way to start…if he/she can lie about that, even if they fess up, what else will he/she lie about?
I know 1) dating over 40 is tricky 2) people on sites like Match list themselves at a younger age so as not to be excluded from searches…but still.

Another example: I was told something specific and exciting about an acting job that was later partially recanted and at the actual shoot didn’t appear to be true at all. Maybe the situation had changed. But, if so, no one explained what had happened. Or things could be at work behind the scenes that I’m not aware of so it could still prove to be somewhat true in the future. Or possibly it was all a well-intentioned mistake (as happened with another recent shoot). But to me, at this moment, it seems like a misrepresentation. A miscommunication at the least.

How far are you willing to go?

ASAP. How long do you think that is? Soon…how long is that? Later…does that mean the same day or later in the week?

When you’re waiting for other people to get back to you, and their response is necessary before you can take the next step, move in a different direction or make other plans, even ASAP can seem like a long time. Any of these qualifiers can vary depending on the information under consideration. ASAP, when someone is reading a 375 page novel, will be much longer than if she’d simply promised to get back with a date for lunch.

When is follow up appropriate? Is ‘no news’ really ‘good news,’ like they say?

It’s not like I’m sitting by the phone (well, except when I’m at my desk because the phone is on it), doing nothing but waiting with bated breath. But let’s say I have an audition, and know the shoot date is a week from Wednesday. I know they won’t call unless I get the part, but I never know when they WILL call if I do. So booking another commitment for that day might not be a good idea. Just in case.

What if a friend asks for several good dates for lunch, then she doesn’t choose one? If another opportunity comes up, do I schedule that, or keep those dates open? Should the answer be different if the opportunity is a paying acting job or lunch with a different friend?

Maybe instead of telling someone ASAP, soon, or later, we should consider being more specific in the first place.

Being a working actress is expensive. I need:
Current headshots.
Postcards of said headshots to send as reminders and audition follow ups.
Regular haircuts, because I have to look like my headshots.
Classes, because agents/casting directors like to see actors honing their craft. And, the classes are often good networking opportunities when the teachers are industry professionals.
Voiceover demos, a Web site and subscriptions to audition sites.
Business cards.
And now: the video slate. Most actors are supposed to be on Actors Access, an audition and casting clearinghouse. More auditions are requesting an Actor Slate, which is a one minute video showcasing your personality. I had a half hour on camera interview, where the questions ranged from ‘What’s your favorite movie and why?’ to ‘Share a favorite childhood memory.’ It went so fast, I can’t remember half of what I said…I’m waiting to receive the edited version.

In other news, some days I wonder if I exist in the real world with the general populace or only in the solitary Twilight Zone of my imagination. Case in point:
The phone doesn’t ring. Meaning no incoming auditions.
The only emails I get are from Yahoo! groups. Meaning that no one is responding to any of the auditions I submitted.

FOUR days of extra work, the most ever in a row for me. Two were for an Aquafina commercial starring Lou Piniella, a Cubs player and I think someone from the Milwaukee Brewers. I did this one for the $, not love of baseball. Spent from 7:30AM to 6:00PM at Joliet’s baseball stadium. Knew assorted fellow extras. Despite frequent application of 55 SPF, some sunburn. We were assigned various reactions to the action on the field.
The next day, we went to Wrigley Field and repeated what we did the day before… moving from section to section, even the upper deck and skyboxes. VERY hot, even with an umbrella between takes. Fortunately, only from 7:00AM-Noon.

The next two days, spent thirteen hours each waiting to be called to the set of a major motion picture. Basically got paid to talked with friends old and new, eat, check e-mail, read. However, the reason I do extra work is to see actors/directors in action. Not to sit around.

These were the 54th and 55th projects I’ve worked on. Have I had enough of being an extra? Time will tell.

I did get to work on the movie Wanted. With James McAvoy, who was in The Chronicles of Narnia and The Last King of Scotland. Not Angelina Jolie. Apparently, she had wrapped the day before. A suburban night shoot, in a grocery store, from 6pm to 1am. I knew four of the other extras, so catching up with them was fun. I am definitely “in the camera”..but of course it’s all in the editing.

Today I’ll be taping what’s called an Actor Slate for one of the online audition services I’m registered with. It’s to show casting directors what I look and sound like and for them to get a sense of my personality. I’ll be interviewed for around 20 minutes, which will be edited into a minute. Stay tuned to see if it helps me get any auditions or jobs.

And I signed up for a second voiceover audition site. To be competitive there I’ll need a fourth demo: narration. I have a tendency to talk fast, and my voice isn’t as deep or husky as a lot of narrators, so I consider this the area that needs most improvement.

Who said, ‘to make money you have to spend money’?

Writing wise: finishing an article for the national romance writer magazine. Almost done with the significant revisions my agent requested on my latest novel. A new challenge, because as I go I’m second guessing myself. I keep pulling out of the story and thinking, “Is this what she asked for? What if she doesn’t like this new scene?” Will endeavor to turn these thoughts around, to “Aha. She’s going to LOVE this!”

Over a week ago I’d committed to working Tuesday as an extra on the Angelina Jolie movie Wanted. When you’re an extra, you need to be available the entire day and night.

But when it rains, it pours…I got a call for a “big” audition Monday afternoon.

What’s an actress to do? Say ‘yes’ to the audition and cancel the movie? Or stand by a commitment?

Not that being an extra is highest paying or most important acting gig, or that I couldn’t go on living unless I see Angelina in person (reportedly Brad’s in town too), but I believe a commitment is a commitment. The scene is supposed to be a small one, so my absence would be noticed more vs. if I bagged a huge crowd scene. Plus the extras agent wouldn’t be thrilled if I canceled the day before, and might be less likely to book me in the future. Also, no matter how big the client, an audition is still an audition. There’s no guarantee I’ll get the part.

What did I do? I knew Monday was a night shoot, which, based on what I know of union rules, made it likely that Tuesday would be too. So I told the agent this info, and she went ahead and booked me for the audition. Then I decided to check if the Wanted extras agency had any clue about Tuesday’s call time. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t know until the current day’s filming wraps.

Guess what? The scene I was supposed to work on has been postponed. So I’m good to go for the audition. Then Monday early evening, I got a call with the new date for the Wanted shoot.

Sometimes things that seem complicated work themselves out.

When most people learn that I’m an actress, they ask, “What are you in,” probably assuming I do theatre or film.

Just so you know, dear Reader, there are many other acting opportunities out there that pay better than theatre and take less time. Granted, they aren’t Shakespeare. Most do not involve character analysis or digging deep within to find emotion.

Recent projects include:
A photo shoot for the National Restaurant Association. They had an e-learning project, and needed actors to portray diners and waitstaff in a restaurant, among other things.
Corporate role playing for a training program involving high-level executives.
A bawling bride for a corporate scavenger hunt.

It is this last upon which I wish to elaborate. I had to sit in the park across from the Sears Tower, dressed all in white down to my sneakers with rhinestones and up to my wedding veil, waiting for teams receiving clues via cell phone to pry 2 passwords out of me. I was supposed to cry.
As one team of around eight peppered me for information, a former corporate America client came up to me.

“What are you doing? Are you ok?” she asked. Cleary she feared for my safety and sanity. “If you need me, you know where to find me,” she said.

I called her after the event ended and assured her all was well.

Sure, it would have been nice if she’d seen me in a movie or a national TV commercial instead of crying in a public park with my wedding veil flying in the breeze.
Maybe someday.