It's the most wonderful time of the year...

And no, I don't mean Christmas.

First, my apologies for the span of time between this blog post and the last, but it has proven to be a very busy 2017, which is great in terms of Working Vacation Studios (keep those editing requests coming!), but not so good in terms of my ability to do regular blog posts. Another goal to add to the New Year's resolutions list...

Now to the topic at hand: Why is it the best time of the year? Massive amounts of food and time spent with family? Partly. But what I'm really talking about is Board Game Geek Con: a five-day, four-night annual gathering in Dallas, TX, of (now) nearly 3,000 gamers put on by the fine folks at BoardGameGeek.com (obvs). Not only is BGG.Con the one time of year when WVS takes a real vacation (I turn off the e-mail and everything...well, I do check in with my clients who are also at the show), but also it's my opportunity to catch up with my gaming pals and play our favorites while also trying out the new games. Below are pics of just a handful of what made it to the table (including Eurorails, Cosmic Encounter, Trickerion, Flipships, Arkham Horror, and a demo of the upcoming Doctor Who: Time of the Daleks). 

So yes, in addition to editing games, I do really love to play them. And BGG.Con is my opportunity to do just that pretty much 24/7. I highly recommend making the trek if you're so inclined; it's truly an awesome experience.

Now it's time to loosen the belt and prepare for the eating fest that is Thanksgiving. So my best wishes to you all for an enjoyable holiday, and continue to watch this space for more news and views from Working Vacation Studios...

A Friday worth celebrating for more than just being Friday...

This is kind of a special Friday for four reasons:

1) It's Friday.

2) It's kinda-sorta the second anniversary of the birth of Working Vacation Studios.

3) One year ago today, I brought home this skittish shed-monster named Nora, and she has since blossomed into the sweetest companion this working-at-home stiff could ask for (though she still sheds like a beast and wakes me up faaaar too early in the morning).

4) Did I mention it's Friday?

Happy Friday/two-year work-iversary/one-year adopt-iversary, everyone! Now, go have a margarita...

Every editor does one

At some point in an editor's career, he or she edits at least one hard book. And by that, I don't mean one that is difficult technically (lots of errors, plot's a mess, etc.)—I mean one that reads like a gut punch to your soul. Like with many other colleagues, mine was a cancer memoir. And I'm proud to say that Popcorn from the Void: Observations, Manic Kvetching, and the Raw Truth of Leukemia is now on sale.

A compilation of blog posts by Todd Park, a magazine journalist, the text itself was fairly easy to edit. But knowing from the outset how his story would end (spoilers!) made progress tough sometimes, though having to stop every few pages to confirm a song title from Todd's playlist brought one welcome ear worm after another. Then, just as I was in the home stretch, came the manuscript's final sock to my spiritual jaw: Todd died on my birthday. Suffice to say, I was a couple of days late with the final delivery (thanks for understanding, Christine!).

All in all, I'm glad I did it and that I got to read (and edit) the story of this brave man. But, I'm likewise glad I no longer need to pay this particular due.

Be the tortoise

As I scurry about, trying to wrap up my day and week in time to enjoy a Summer Friday (I thought it was just a publishing thing—which I decided to adopt as part of my freelancer life—but not so. Check this out: The number of companies offering 'Summer Fridays' has doubled...), I wanted to share this with y'all before I dive into my (semi-working) weekend.

To all of us who feel as though day in and day out we're just beating our heads against a wall, I offer you the following (be warned, there's a fair amount of good-natured profanity, so you may want to watch with the headphones on):

Happy Friday, and for today at least, may you be the tortoise.

Spivey has left the building...

Following up on my previous blog post about the Reedsy seminar I gave on the perils and pitfalls of writing the genre series, below is the edited video of said seminar (missing the Q&A sections, as well as more than a couple of "um..."s). 

Thanks again to the folks at Reedsy for asking me to do it, and I hope that you, and everyone who came to the live session, find it useful and maybe a bit entertaining.

Meantime, happy Friday!

I'm gonna be live, baby, live!

Yes, my friends, this coming Wednesday (May 17), I'm gonna be appearing live and in person. Sadly, it won't be like this...

As some may know, in addition to offering my editing services here as WVS.com, I'm also part of the Reedsy network, an awesome collective of publishing professionals—from editors to cover designers to publicity mavens—who stand ready to help indie authors craft, package, and sell their novels.

Even though my last talk for them was peppered with enough "Um"s that my junior high speech team coach (who was also the football coach) would have had me running laps for weeks, the fine folks at Reedsy have asked me to come back and do another, this time via Facebook Live. And it's topic that's very much in my sweet spot: the perils and pitfalls of writing the genre series.

I think it's gonna be pretty awesome, and my pals at Reedsy liked the run-through. So I genuinely hope you can make it, particularly if you feel this kind of info will be helpful in your writing. And if you can't make the live version, the replay will be available after. But definitely come if you can, because I really don't want my first Facebook Live event to be the online equivalent of this...

"Hello...is this thing on?" >cricket cricket<

Meantime, I owe y'all a proper blog post, and should have something posted soon...

Happy Working Naked Day!

Okay, first...get your heads out of the gutter.

Working Naked Day is the creation of Lisa Kanarek and is intended as a celebration of the ability to work "naked," as in free of the usual corporate hang-ups such as the daily commute, irritating coworkers, office politics, difficulty managing work/life balance...and yes, dress codes.

And while there are some who do indeed go...ahem, full monty for the day, I will not. Sorry...it's too friggin' cold, and it would make walking the dog a bit awkward.

But Working Naked Day means more than a different interpretation of "Business Casual," at least to me. It's also working without a safety net—no backup or support staff to cover when you're sick, go on vacation, or are simply overwhelmed; no pal in the next cubicle to brainstorm or kvetch with; no HR reps to help you pick the right medical plan; and having to deal with all the other nagging fears and doubts that come with the freelancer lifestyle—and MAKING IT HAPPEN. (And that wouldn't be the case without all my clients and clients-to-be, so thank you, thank you, and thaaaaank you!)

So, as I said from the start, Working Naked Day is not for dwelling on the "what ifs" and looking down to see there isn't any net. Instead, it's about celebrating me, my awesome clients, and the fact that I am indeed making it...and doing it while wearing comfy sweats and a Batman T-shirt. Maybe even the cape; I haven't gotten that far yet in today's decision-making...

Happy Working Naked Day, y'all!!

The Year of the (Devil) Pig

Happy New Year, one and all! Just a quick post this time, as I've been blessed/cursed with a very busy January, but I did want to let you know about my latest board game edit.

In about mid-December, one of the projects I had backed on Kickstarter—the Strategic Resupply + Rules Compendium for Heroes of Normandie from Devil Pig Games—found itself in need of an editor. As a fan of the game, I volunteered my services and did an edit during my holiday "break" (to paraphrase Honest John from Disney's Pinocchio, "Hi-deedle-dee-dee, a freelancer's life for me..."). It was a really awesome assignment, as it was great to play an important role in the creation of a definitive rule book for one of my favorite games and, by reading the full set of rules, to get a glimpse at all of the expansions that I don't have yet (emphasis on "yet"). After all this, I can't wait to get HoN back to the table.

But, hang on a minute...what am I doing here talking to you guys? I need to get back to WORK!!

Hi-deedle-dee-dee...

The word is the thing

As we prepare to watch 2016 ride off into the sunset (quite possibly hogtied to a wild horse), one end-of-year event that caught my interest was the folks at Merriam-Webster dictionary selecting their Word of the Year. While normally I'm all about the Oscars, as well as the Harvey and Eisner Awards, the tizzy around Word of the Year and how it touched on something very important to my life—words—sucked me in.

It started with this piece in The Oregonian/Oregon Live on December 1, explaining how Merriam-Webster was Tweeting about how the rising interest in "facism" was making it a real contender for Word of the Year.

Now, I'm kind of like Ferris Bueller when it comes to "-isms"...

...so that, plus the implied reason why "facism" was getting so many lookups at Merriam-Webster, was...um, disturbing. Others found it likewise disturbing, and suddenly there was a spike in lookups for all kinds of words from "puppy" to "flumadiddle."

The next day, Merriam-Webster came back with a rebuttal and an explanation behind their Word of the Year selection process. This put my mind at ease somewhat, and the M-W folks had a good point: people should look up "facism" if they're not sure what it means. (Must...avoid...political commentary...)

In the end, Merriam-Webster selected "surreal" as their Word of the Year. And I have to say, that truly does describes 2016 in a nutshell. We gained a new president in what can safely be described as a tumultuous election, we lost the greatest, a starman and a funnyman, a prince and a princess, and our faith, and on a personal note, I uprooted my life and started Working Vacation Studios. Surreal, indeed.

And on that note, a very Happy New Year, everyone! And may 2017 be a little less surreal...

Happy Holidays!!