Poll time!

[thrihyrne]

I've been both heartsick and heartened over the past 24 hours; I'm very grateful to wolfiekins and then risiepookie for the phone calls; it's been far too long since I've spoken to Ms. Risie and I'm so glad that we were able to connect last night! We did cover a lot of ground, and I decided to make a poll, seeing as how I do have a paid account and all of that. I'm not leaving LJ, not out of some weird sense of loyalty, but because this is where I've been since December of '03. I'm really, really hoping (perhaps against hope) that there won't be some kind of mass exodous, because, well, I may like to hand write letters, but I'm guessing that most of you don't share my enthusiasm. :(

So! An open poll. What do you think I should do next?

[Poll #1036155]

In fic news, I'm working on a Ron/Harry as prompted by CallumJames who challenged me to this: write five linked drabbles of no more than 250 words each charting the developing relationship between Harry and Ron. The drabbles should be titled, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 refering to the ages of the characters in each drabble. At least two of the five should be rated NC-17. And here's the kicker... each drabble has to begin with the same line that the previous one ends with and the final line of the last drabble must be the same as the first line of the first. Also, there should be no need for a paragraph of explanation at the beginning... !

They'll be vignettes, longer than 250 words, but I'm enjoying the challenge.

And you all? ♥

Comments

[eccequambonum.livejournal.com]

you had better include me in your alternative to Anonymous 4. The pipes are a little rusty, but they shape up quick enough. and you know you always have an open invitation to come visit, even if i don't have time off from work. big house, three cats, hardly any south facing windows (sunlight = evil). and diet coke with lime always in the fridge.

i'm trying to chalk up my raging case of bitchitis of late to summer. stupid sun, stupid heat. where's my rain, dammit?

[thrihyrne.livejournal.com]

I'd love to have you in the vocal group!! And I really do owe you a visit. I'll bring my yarn. ;)

[kaalee.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'll come fill out the poll later today as I'm off to some professional development workshops in a few minutes. I wanted to tell you, though, when I was up in Toronto for Prophecy, I went to see OotP on IMAX with a group of people, many of whom I don't know. One I ended up having a lovely conversation with and when she told me her LJ name -- fabularasa -- I gasped and said, "Oh! I've heard about you because you know thrihyrne! She told me about seeing you at a fandom meet up!" (was it The Witching Hour? Lumos? So we talked about you and then talked about reading comprehension and I told her about a brilliant children's book and anyway, I just wanted to tell you in case your ears were burning this weekend. ♥

[thrihyrne.livejournal.com]

Yes, I know fabularasa!! She's an exquisite writer and . I'm so glad that you enjoyed Prophecy, and no, my ears weren't burning, but perhaps I simply wasn't paying attention. It happens. :(

[liriaen.livejournal.com]

You know Anon 4 OMG! <3 <3 <3 In answer to your query, though... meh. In a really damp mood. All this "illegal" hoo-ha. "Underage" remains a touchy and fluid subject; but if the next stop on our downward voyage is copyright, then I'll officially be throwing a fit. I won't let Babylon win. */moody*

[thrihyrne.livejournal.com]

I love Anon 4!! Have CDs! Have seen them in concert!

I just want to write and I want to read my friends' lovely stories, y'know? This is home. It has been for four years…

::girds loins::

[liriaen.livejournal.com]

I've seen them in concert, too! Squeefulness! :D Loingirding, yah. I can see it! Reminds me of the song to Maman Brijit in Vodoun,

Mare tet ou, mare vant ou, mare ren ou, Yo prale we ki jan yap met a jenou; "meaning, tie up your belly, 'gird up your loins' to prepare for the strain of work, we will make the people who did this evil spell get down on their knees to beg pardon and receive their punishment." Yep.

[sexyscholar.livejournal.com]

Well, I don't plan on going anywhere. This is my journal: I've been paying for it for 5 years now. Hmph. I'd thought about locking my latest ficlet thingy, but I decided not to. My journal. Mine. ::hisses::

I love to handwrite letters. I haven't done it in quite a while, but I think I should start again.

Now, I've never heard of Anonymous 4, but I'm always in favour of singing groups! ::misses singing::

And yes, I think you should absolutely somewhere up North. Like Michigan. Or something. XD

As for me, I'm doing alright. I've just come back from a roadtrip to Maryland with a group of friends, and I'm still feeling a bit out of sorts.

The ride bore 3 new fanmixes (WOW) so I'm going to start work on those. I think I may also want to write a smutlet about Draco's first Muggle car trip (without air condition, HA!) with Ron. Maybe.

[thrihyrne.livejournal.com]

Exactly. My journal. My Own. My Preciousssss...

Looking forward to the fanmixes! And the smutlet! Boy do I need some heartwarming (and other warming) R/D. Mmmm hmmmmm.

[mrsquizzical.livejournal.com]

nb. i'm not that good with the diet coke- it sends my crunchy mama soul into a bit of a freak out. but everything else is good!

really happy to hear you're writing.

can't wait to read it.

[thrihyrne.livejournal.com]

I just adore Diet Coke. Can't help it. :sigh:

Have finally written some of my original fic. It makes me giggle, which I suppose is a good thing. And then I'm interpolating the H/R, which has a totally different feel to it. I do love Callum's challenge; it'll probably be a couple of weeks before it's ready to post.

And you?

[mrsquizzical.livejournal.com]

and me?.... as in am i writing?

erm... yeah. trying to. (you know - complete with shifting pov and sentence fragments... sorry, thev.)

btw - i tried to link someone to 'fling wide the whirlwind' and the link didn't work. is it archived at wolf moon?

[thrihyrne.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's all over the place: here (http://thrihyrne.net/FWTW.html) at my website, and here (http://www.wolfmoonslash.com/efiction/viewstory.php?sid=114&warning=5) at Wolf Moon. Thanks for the rec!!

[leviathan0999.livejournal.com]

You've got

Heliopathic
Affective
Polarity
Patterned
Yggsdraisilism!

[thrihyrne.livejournal.com]

Yea, verily!! :D

All that and a planet named Santzs! Despite it all, I think I don't mind summer. It doesn't make me as miserable as some other people.

[llembas.livejournal.com]

I chose 4 things for you to do next. I can never narrow life down to one or two choices. This is my main problem with life. There are soo many GOOD Choices you could make. Especially if they involve writing.

*hugs*

[thrihyrne.livejournal.com]

Well, thank you for choosing so many things for me!! I just need to keep looking ahead, and stay focused on the good things coming up. (((hugs)))

[maple-mahogany.livejournal.com]

I've been thinking about you a lot this week. There's been an awful lot of confusion and disappointment and I just wish we had the power to 'fix' everything.

Just letting you know I've been holding you, and many others, in my heart. (it's been very cloudy and rainy here in my desert - you'd love it)

My best! ((hugs))

[thrihyrne.livejournal.com]

(((hugs))) back to you. This will fade over time, I know, but it has been a hard week. And yay for clouds! I'm not a huge rain fan, but I do love my grey skies.

[celandineb.livejournal.com]

Well, I'd try to provide a ginger-haired diversion, but it might be kind of on the young side. *g*

[thrihyrne.livejournal.com]

LOL! Well, I'll be here for a time yet anyway, but the diversion idea is a very pleasant one.

[celandineb.livejournal.com]

*vbg* I'm sure you'll make a good decision, hon. {{hugs}}

[melissagay.livejournal.com]

Who, me? Suffering miserably this summer heat, wishing my adorable but tyranical son would let me nap away the afternoon scorch
and paint all night. Tennessee's weather is extremely nsatisfactory to me at this point. Stupid climate...

[thrihyrne.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I must say that I don't miss the Tennessee weather!!! :P Sorry that you're not able to work in the afternoons; I suspect that would be prime art time for you. Hang in there!

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

*hugs you* Do you follow Henry Jenkins' blog (lj user="henry_jenkins">? I'd think you'd do well as an aca/fan. Whatever you do, follow your bliss! And I'll be cheering you on. :)

[thrihyrne.livejournal.com]

I didn't know that he had an LJ! I'll have to check it out. And thank you for the support and kind words! ♥

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Oops! I messed that up, didn't I? It's henry_jenkins! Sorry. *more hugs*

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

This may be of particular interest. FYI!

[thrihyrne.livejournal.com]

Yes indeedy! Thanks much! And also for the unintentional (but subliminal, to me) reminder to myself that I want to reread The Left Hand of Darkness. :D

Rant mixed with recommendation

[tyellas.livejournal.com]

It's great to see you planning for the next stage of your life. -hugs- But...uh…MFA to be an editor? Please allow me to share my not-so-great publishing experiences.

I worked in publishing for 6 years after getting my Bachelor’s degree. I worked my way up from being an editorial assistant to a production editor with a fair bit of text editing responsibilities. It turned out that publishing was a pretty bibulous profession - as in, people in publishing love to drink. When I told one co-editor at a place that I never drank alcohol, she said to me, "Well, you'll never get far in publishing!" At my job after that, I wound up working in a good publishing company, but it had a corporate culture of very prim women, you know, post-sorority types. They, too, loved to get plastered, and again, I didn't fit in. In the meantime, I scrounged for freelance writing gigs to fill in the publishing-salary blanks. There weren't many of them, and they were a lot of work.

About 4 years in, I decided that I wasn’t happy with the people I was working with, and I wasn’t doing what I really wanted to do – I wasn't making money, and I wasn’t writing. So I went to graduate school. For technical writing, because that, unlike an MFA, was where the money was. (Everyone I know who has an MFA either has family wealth or is now very poor, paying student loans - I helped one MFA person complete their bankruptcy paperwork.)

By the time I left publishing, the growth of the Internet was making our business wobbly, and an acquisition by a major German publisher had everyone remaining fretting about jobs. By now, the growth of the Internet has killed several book and periodical editing jobs that friends had, as well.

I am still paying my student loans (a piece of stupidity on my part, since it's easy to get hired/comped tuition as a TA at tech writing programs like the ones at Drexel or Renssaeler or Carnegie Mellon). However, my degree has opened a lot of doors for me. It's not a bed of roses, but things are easier. If I wanted to be a freelance writer or editor, I could do that, if I wanted to do the legwork and self-marketing. With my techy background, I can write for the Web easily. My income has benefited and I work with cool geeks.

Not surprisingly, for you, I voted for "Go North and work and write on the side." I also think the idea of you being a teacher and encouraging young writers is way cool. But I think by now you know my opinion of MFAs. Others who have had positive MFA experiences that opened doors are invited to rebut me!

Another thing about taking writing for money in a techy direction is that people often take it up as a second career, building on their earlier life experiences. It's easier to break into at 36. Whereas a lot of non-techy publishing and editing is full of young, hungry early 20s graduates - just like I once was, when I got hired for my first publishing job, over older candidates who might have asked for more money.

I'm sorry to dump this rant on you! I feel like the Ancient Mariner! I just want you to be happy, and comfortable, and to succeed.

Re: Rant mixed with recommendation

[thrihyrne.livejournal.com]

No, don't apologize! Thank you for your very appreciated insights and commentary. I've not thought of technical writing, but perhaps that's a way to go as well. I guess I just am lacking in particular focus, which is hard for me, but I suspect that will pass over time.

Thank you again for yoru thoughts.

[risiepookie.livejournal.com]

Oh, ticky tock!

Yes, it's been far too long... I thought about our conversation at random times throughout the day and was constantly smiling. You've boosted me, just when I needed it! ::hugs::

You know my opinions on the above; I think you have a rare gift to encourage and get the best out of writers. I think you have the ability to instill confidence and let the word craft shine through, while making it still fun and creative.

I ♥ you, my darling. You are so wonderful and I'm privileged to call you "friend".

::squishes you::

[thrihyrne.livejournal.com]

Ticky!! I'm so glad that we finally touched base, and I'm pleased that remembrances of the conversation made you smile.

Much love to you!

[verdenia.livejournal.com]

Well, I've set up alt journals, but I figure I'll still be checking in on the people who can't or won't move from here.

Best of luck with whatever you do! ♥

[thrihyrne.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much!! I just can't handle the other journals, I don't think... I mean, I'd hate to lose the 3 1/2 years of journaling here, but not enough to do anything about it right now.

[verdenia.livejournal.com]

Have you used lj archive to back up your old entries, just in case?

I've been meaning to do that for a bit...should really get it done! ;p

[thrihyrne.livejournal.com]

No, I've not... I'll look into it and see what it does. Thanks very much for the heads up!

[stuckinsea.livejournal.com]

Really I think all of the above. I mean whose to say that you can't do anything that you believe you can do. And I'd like to see you singing...lol.

And that challenge from Callum. That's a good one. I have to say. I can't wait to see what you come up with.

Miss you!

MWAH!

[thrihyrne.livejournal.com]

Thank you, sweetie! There's so much I could do, it gets overwhelming... but today is a Sunday, I'm writing and typing stuff up and doing written correspondence, too. Your letter came! OMG! What a fabulous long one! I'll be replying soon. It meant the world to me to hear from you.

I should get back to the H/R, though today I've been writing R/D smut, the latest in MI.

I miss you, too! People fleeing LJ makes me sad, as I can only handle one journal at a time. It's all so unpleasant and makes me feel out of sorts. :(

[verdenia.livejournal.com]

Oh, and you can get RSS feeds to read your other friend's journals who go off-site.

[thrihyrne.livejournal.com]

Oh goodness. Seems high tech! Mostly I feel as though I've been a part of a seige and the attackers have gone, but they've taken haf of the castle with them. I miss the commentary from my friends already, though I'm no better. I've not been posting because I've been upset about the whole thing. :(