Nov 12: 900 word total -- short reviews of 4 novels
Nov 14: 8-900 word review of 216-page book
Nov 19: 900 word total -- short reviews of 4 novels
Nov 21: Six MA theses in Creative Writing due back with grades and examiners' reports (not yet received, I have to pick them up this afternoon)
Nov 24: Ten Honours theses, on assorted subjects, due back with grades and examiners' reports (seven received so far, three still MIA)
Nov 26: 900 word total -- short reviews of 4 novels
Dec 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31: 900 word total -- short reviews of 4 novels
Jan 1: 18-1900 word review of 714-page biography
Jan 6: Return 1400-page manuscript to publisher, proofread
Jan 7: 900 word total -- short reviews of 4 novels
And that's only if nobody offers me any new work between now and then, which would in itself be cause for alarm. At all times, but especially in times of economic panic, the freelancer must make like the ant*, in preparation for the time to come when grasshopper behaviour will be the only available option.
At least those dates are staggered. As opposed to moi, what am staggering:
As one form of time-saving, but also for nobler reasons, I shall be doing most of my Christmas shopping out of the Oxfam catalogue. Actually it is such a ripper this year that I might devote a whole nother blog post to it, thereby avoiding all of the above for another ten minutes or so.
*Except for the nyerdy nyer part at the end, of course.
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8 comments:
Who issues a December 31st or January 1st deadline? That's bizarre.
In the case of the short reviews, I'm just projecting forward. Have to file my SMH reviews weekly, and as everybody knows, ze newspapers zey do not sleep -- although last year they did have to cut the books pages back over the Christmas/New Year break, so it was fiction one week and nonfiction the next and I got a week off. In the case of the biography review, which is for Aust Book Review, it's probably just an automatically generated date counting back from production week.
I look at it this way. Not only do I have work, unlike a rapidly-increasing number of other people, but when people ask me what I do for a living I can reply 'I lie on the sofa reading novels.' For that I am perfectly happy to file copy whenever they want it.
Thanks to that handy hint was prompted to look for oxfam catalogue on web and there it is - as I will be spending the 5 weeks before christmas invalided out of the shopping melee (though some lying on the sofa reading novels may be possible) I'm very pleased with this new option. However, bizarrely, notice that on p. 10-13 you can buy what seems quite obviously a minorah as a 'brass candle stand' for christmas.
Watch their faces light up!
Tyaakian
"... lie on the sofa reading novels"
That's how I envisioned retirement, but it hasn't worked out that way yet. Too busy reading my favourite blogs, I guess. Besides, my wife hogs the sofa.
Envious congratulations on a well-organised life. :)
I'm also impressed by how you've calendared the dates. And also a bit horrified by the numerousness of them. When are you going to get to make your trifle?
Word verification is balicar - as if.
Just to let you know that SLWC is nominated in the Best Hidden Gem section of The 2008 Weblog Awards.
http://2008.weblogawards.org/
nominations/best-hidden-gem/
In an effort to avoid my essay writing I did the Oxfam shopping a few weeks ago.
Then I found this mob: http://www.beegreen.com.au/ who have a sale on. I am quite happy about that. Etsy is also good for internet based ethical shopping, although if you buy in US dollars it might be a killer. (Some Australian based crafters will sell to you in Aussie pesos if you email them though)
My word verification is comett!
That is a PILE of work. I hope the paper has sent you the novels for the short reviews already... you can try to get ahead that way.
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