Halloween.. A Night of Witches, Vampires and.. Lucky Charms?

It's been a while since I last posted, so I decided to go ahead and post an article I had tried selling to a marketing company. :) Yay Halloween's just around the corner!

Halloween.. The one night a year where Batman, Superman, and Cinderella rally together in a door-to-door hunt for chocolate and suckers. Laughter fills the night as children dressed in costumes ring door bells with sticky fingers and toothy "Trick or Treat"s.
With glowing Jack-O-Lanterns on doorsteps and white-sheeted ghosts, it seems very unlikely Halloween would have Celtic origins. However, it is believed Halloween first originated from a Celtic holiday called Samhain, where the Druids (Priests of the Celts) built massive bonfires.. Sacred to the townspeople, they would offer crops and animal sacrifices to the open flames for their Gods.
This event took place on the 31st of October (Halloween), the day before the Celt's New Year and the end of their harvest and summer. Celtic belief was that Samhain was a night of haunt. Believing ghosts of the world of dead were able to pass over the boundary and return to earth to reap havoc on the town's crops and produce other problems and troubles. It is said many would disguise themselves in animal skins as a sort of mask so as not to be recognized by the evil spirits when leaving their homes that night.
While the thinned boundary between spirit world and living was frightening to the Celts, they also believed that this time made it easier for their Priests to read the future.
Later, sometime in A.D. 600 to 700, one or several of the Popes, believed to be in an attempt to replace the Celtic event with a holiday approved by the Catholic church perhaps, moved All Saints' Day (also called All Hollows Day) from it's previous date early in the year to November 1st. Eventually the night before All Hollows Day became All Hollows Eve, which evolved into our modern holiday, Halloween. While this is a widely believed theory of how Halloween became, it seems to be only one of many.
Many believe, without foundation it seems, the Celtic festival Samhain was named after a God of Death. Others believe there wasn't a God of Death at all but that this is a myth fabricated by philosophers in earlier days. Other rumors say that the Druids were far from harmless and went from door to door in search of virgin sacrifices to offer to Samhain leaving a jack-o-lantern and candle made of human fat to ones who cooperated to ward off the evil spirits wandering through the streets that night. This is perhaps where some believe the traditional glowing pumpkin comes in seen on most doorsteps around Halloween.
Though there are many different beliefs throughout the world on the nature of Halloween when it first began, most everyone agrees it originated in the lands that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and some of France.
However it came about, Halloween in modern times is a festive holiday in which children and adults alike have the excuse to be who they want to be.. even if it is under a mask.

Wallpaper is a curse..

Wallpaper.. the sticky layer of flowery deception.
What IS hiding behind those patterned pretty flowers? Water stains? Mildew? Horrific nests of cockroach families? Do we even want to know?
Not really.. but those little dots of pastel pink and green flowers call to you, a distraction hovering in your peripheral vision, begging you to stop working and turn your tortured eyes to it's beckon.. Counting each and every flower as preciouse minutes tick by, your work day essentially shot.
Why do we use it? Here are some possible scenarios..
*1. You just moved here.. You have nothing to do with the legion of chipper flowers adorning your walls, and your landlord for some reason is partial to it. Maybe it was his grandmother's and has sentimental value.. fortunate for him, HE doesen't have to live with it.
*2. Wall-Papers R Us had an excellent sale on anything with little pink roses and it was cheaper then painting.
*3. YOUR grandmother put it up, and it has sentimental value to YOU.
*4. It just matches the pink and white sofa.
*5. Your hiding ketchup-stained walls. An incident you really don't want to discuss.
*6. You just like it. Those pretty little flowers give you warm, fuzzy feelings and something to stare at during the day.
Anyways.. Whatever the reason.. What if you decide you need to get rid of it? Well! That's what I decided after rearranging my living room several times in the last month to no avail. I did some googling and the first link that popped up, brought a website that I intend to follow this coming year when tackling my wallpaper project. http://ezinearticles.com/?11-Tips-for-Stripping-Wallpaper:-How-to-Get-Rid-of-Ugly-Wallpaper!&id=4341
Unfortunately, since nearly every room is covered in it, this could be a very big project.. Hence why next spring is the 'to-do' date. I plan on recording and covering the whole process with before and after pictures to post on my blog. :) So stay tuned for that!
Life in the Freelance Writing World... Hmm.. Nacie Carson, a reader of FWJ (freelancewritinggigs.com) sent in a post that I feel is a necessity to read for any who have a site. She tells about her recent experience with hackers, the damage, and how you can prevent this from happening to you. Check out her post here: http://www.freelancewritinggigs.com/2008/10/06/got-a-web-site-be-sure-to-back-it-up/#comment-47947
Jodee posted some great job leads on FWJ today, so definately check that out. A job for a comedy writer (for a mock-horoscope site) among others are listed today, check out Jodee's posting here: http://www.freelancewritinggigs.com/2008/10/06/freelance-writing-jobs-for-monday-october-6-2008/#comment-47950
Okay, enough plugging, work calls. *puts on the work face*
Happy Freelancing!

My sister has cell-phone-gnawing-Savage Squirrels in her yard. Seriosely. :)

Anyways.. another late night with the son. Thankfully it's been one of those nights where he's made it easy for me to write, allowing the few assignments I had on my list to be finished, formatted and sent out.
So even though I'm super tired and missing my nice warm bed, I'm pretty darn happy that I'm ahead of schedule.
Ahh.. short post, unfortunately the tyke is calling. Nitey Nite!

Aww.. The Sweet Taste of Victory

Or.. Okay, maybe it's just Frosted Cheerios, but at the moment it tastes pretty darn good.

Finally selling your first piece of freelance work feels kinda like that. You know it's not breaking the bank, but tastes pretty good after hard work and very slim rewards from it.

Where did the bowl of Cheerios come into play with all this? Well.. The reason may seem silly, but for the past few weeks I haven't had time to eat breakfast. Partly for the reason that I'm holding my son most of the time, and the other part because if I'm not holding him I'm cleaning, taking care of my daughter or typing. (You'd be suprised at how something so small as being able to type with two hands can make a person willingly pass up breakfast.)

While it was only bought for $24, I was still way-excited about selling my first article since breaking out in the Freelance World online. And it gave me motivation to keep plugging on. :)

I currently am working on trying to get a few more articles written up for the same group, but have no guarantee they will be purchased.

My new favorite job-searching source (who gave me my first sale-lead) posts every morning after searching and picking the cream of the crop so-to-speak. You can find her at this link: http://www.freelancewritinggigs.com/

Not only are there excellent job leads, but everyone who posts on this site are full of information for newbie writers such as myself. :)

Aw.. the son calls. Happy Freelancing!

Cross Your T's and Dot Your 'Eyes'?

Another day of Freelance job hunting.. It's a Saturday, and while I spent a majority of the day finishing my resume and replying to some calls for Freelance Writers.. I was able to sit down with my husband and drop 'Hitman' into the DVD player.
Two hours later, I found myself holding my son with Brutis' mouse in my hand. Research. There's a fashion magazine call for writers and editors and I intended to write up a piece to submit as a sample tonight. This proved less easy than I thought.
I first started searching for Fall Fashion for 2008.. then realizing that most runway fashion doesen't make it to the streets but is watered down to a more practical, easier managed trend, I took to 'Street Fashion'...
Ahem.. Okay.. About Street Fashion. I really admire most of the trendsetters these days, but the one who gave birth to respelling a word to make it slang by actually ADDING letters just strikes me as idiotic.
Eye? Eye.. Why on earth take a simple word of one letter that explains and describes so much and add two letters to make yourself sound unlearned? I'm all about comfort. I'm one of those who, while I know aint aint a word, can't help but spout the blasphemic word in my everday language just because it's fun to say.. But eye? Eye doesen't even sound different then I. It just causes a little more inconvenience to the typist who for some odd reason feels it necessary to misspell.
Isn't slang all about convenience? And comfort? When did taking longer to type become slang? It's bad enough when you can't hardly understand most of today's teens due to lack of letters.
When 'txt talking' first came out, that was allright. It was convenient and saved the frequent texter from expensive conversations between friends. You can't blame someone for typing cn't instead of can't. Or u instead of you. But.. eye instead of I? Are we going backwards? Is this some kind of conspiracy with the mobile phone service companies? Have they come to the conclusion that we as a consumer MUST text long sentences to get a simple point across to keep them afloat?
Bah.. Too much research into the outside world. My laundry calls.

Writer's Insomnia

Insomnia.. 64 million Americans get it a year.. Apparently even exhausted parents who, when their newborn finally goes to sleep at a decent time, find themselves VERY awake lying in bed. Late-night brainstorms often wiggle their way in about that time, and something that seemed like a breakthrough at 2 a.m. turns into me shaking my head in wonder at 9 a.m. Such as turning all the half-empty bottles of condiments in my fridge upside-down in order to help 'speed up the process' of squeezing it out. We all know how long that can take, right? And when you have a toddler that desperately wants their ketchup, and a one month old crying in the other room because for some reason they've turned Anti-Bassinet, it stands to reason that a little nitro dropped in the squeeze bottle wouldn't hurt..

Well.. that's all fine and dandy. IF you remember to close all the lids properly. Ahem. Needless to say, my self-pride was deflated a little after a session with Simple Green and a half a roll of paper towels.

Anyways..

I've noticed that when I'm dealing with my son.. Bouncing him, rocking him or feeding him, my mind tends to wander to my novel. Sad to say I still haven't finished the first draft on the first chapter.. uhm.. page. I'm not sure I have ever gotten a block so early on. I know what I want to write, I just don't know how to put the words on paper so to speak, and this leads to frustration which intensifies my block. It's a vicious circle.

The past few nights I've found that when the kids are sleeping, I get a nearly irresistible urge to write. The problem is.. I've had to cut myself back, as I know I haven't gotten enough sleep with the kids having colds here lately, and if I start writing.. I wont stop till far into the morning. And with us moving erm.. TOMORROW? It's been a bit stressful and hectic. Thankfully it'll all be over in a few days and I can get back to a somewhat normal schedule. So I just deal with the craving.. my eyes wide open and my mind wandering over what could help my main character (whom will be unnamed for the moment) along past the first page.. okay.. uh.. paragraph. YES, I have a storyboard and some wavering semblance of a plot. I just haven't managed to get Brutis' keyboard and my fingers to work together yet.

Is it strange to name your computer? And not just name it, but christen it with a clearly stereotypical aggressive title..?

I sent a sample of some work to a 'news' site which reminds me strangely of the Onion Movie and was given the 'go-ahead' to submit work to them freelance whereas I would get compensation per comment left on my work. Seems a bit strange, but really it makes a bit of sense for them. If they don't get anyone looking at something, there is no point in spending money on it. I'll wait to see if any of my work even gets posted on the site before linking to it.. Less pressure on me. :)

Well.. My house's state of a wreck is calling- Boxes piled everywhere, an empty fridge, and my daughter's toys strewn all about the house.. Hmmm..

Formula-Scented Research

It's amazing how it takes having a 2 and a half year old toddler hanging on your chair arm jabbering like it's the jabberthon, and a one month old newborn crying in your arms with a cold to appreciate being able to type with two hands..
As I type with one hand.. I often find my mind going back to my online nickname dubbed to me by my former guildies. MachineGunFingers. Wonder if I'd shame them with my chicken-pecking? Hmm.. Oh.. Yes I was a mmorpg addict. Guild Wars occupying my thoughts and my conversations with my husband daily. "Bane and I went farming at Yak's Bend today, and I totally stocked up on Summit Badges!" or "Temp and Dragon totally had a moment while pulling trolls above Droks in our guild-raid earlier." Hey! At least it wasn't WOW..
But all that aside.. I finally decided to get serious about my writing. As long as I can remember, I've put off doing anything that could potentially be successful in my non-existent career. Can it really be called a career when all you have is a half of a year writing freelance for the local newspaper 3 years ago? Ahem.. anyways.. While holding a fussy, crying baby whom needed to be bounced in one arm, I typed in google and did some researching.
My efforts were rewarded with a nifty 'About' site that covered just about everything I had been telling myself I needed to know. Allena Tapia gives information and resources to newbie freelancers and more advanced writers alike, including a list of places to look for you next gig. You can find her site at: http://freelancewrite.about.com/
After Noah and I (Noah mostly spitting up into several burp rags during this period of time) read for close to a hour, something she said stuck with me... Allena advises newcomers to the freelance world to 'start writing'. Whether it be something with a purpose or just simply to rant.. such as writing a blog. It will help you get past your writer's block if you just try to put something on paper.. erm.. computer screen.
Slightly doubtful but willing to give it a try, I readied my single barrel fingers for a long and tedious session of chicken-pecking. As I typed, slow as it may be, I found the words coming more naturally to my mind, pauses becoming almost non-existent, and the enjoyment of actually writing eventually returning.
I can happily vouch for the 'type it off' method of writing even if the infamous writer's block plagues your creative consciousness.
This blog was born with the intention of recording my efforts in this world.. encouraging myself to keep 'plugging' and in hopes of exercising my creative muscles.
With my son demanding my attention again, I guess that is my cue to close with encouragement to fellow writers stepping out in hopes of one day their work being appreciated by another. With so many one-armed moms and dads desperate for something to take their minds off sleepless nights and a fussy newborn almost permanently attached to their other arm, you know there has to be a market for YOUR creativity somewhere..