The Interior Life of the Writer

I wonder, sometimes, why anyone would follow a blog written by an author who was taking keyboard in hand for no better reason than to put off working on her book. Perhaps some of you read my posts because you want to know how to achieve my stunning level of publishing success. For you, I have seven delicious recipes for beans, which I may reveal to you in next week's post. Or not.

As for my other friends, the ones with a more realistic handle on the literary life, I assume you're tuning in to see what I've been up to lately. Besides trying to keep from writing. Or trying to force myself to write. Whatever it is I'm doing.

You'll be happy to know I've completely recovered from the various conferences of last month. The seductions of the consignment shop I discovered a few blocks away from the Malice Domestic hotel in Bethesda are still lingering in my mind, though. In another year or two, if I can ever stick to a diet and exercise program, I might even be able to fit into some of those gorgeous clothes. For you size eights out there, the name of the place is Second Chance, and they have a web site at http://www.secondchanceboutiques.com/. They don't sell the clothes online, but you can get an idea of what the shop is all about.

This!

Tuesday the sewing machine came, the one I bought to replace Old Betsy, and I promised myself that as soon as I had written another two thousand words on the Work in Progress (which has been retitled Monkeystorm) I would cut out and sew up a dress. The fabric came from Mood Fabrics, a purveyor of jaw-dropping yard goods to the New York designers. Big fun. Check it out. Since they're in North Jersey somewhere the delivery was extremely fast.

So that's what I'm doing these days. I hit my word count and cut out the dress this afternoon. It might be lovely, or it might turn out to be a rag; I never know with my sewing. I have to go cook dinner now. Tomorrow I'll set myself another writing goal and when I achieve it I'll sew up the dress.

Leave a comment. Let me know what you're up to. Let me know how you make yourself write. Let me know whether you like beans.

Kate Gallison

Onward and Upward

I promised you pictures from Malice Domestic, but I must renege. Due to a number of malfunctions and screw-ups my camera will not turn its pictures loose into either of my computers in their present configurations. Many people took great pictures: Kaye Barley, Beth Groundwater,  Gigi Pandian, and various souls on Facebook such as Liz Zelvin and Robin Templeton. I can't hook you up directly with the Facebook pictures because you may or may not have an account, and if you didn't, the link wouldn't work. But if you're on Facebook you can seek out these people.

Not my machine,
but my camera doesn't work

Malfunctions and screw-ups are infesting many of the tools I use to carry on my life this week. I have to get rid of my ancient sewing machine, a 1962 Kenmore made in Korea that I bought in 1978 for $60 from a fellow state worker who lost her job and became homeless a few weeks later, and subsequently died sitting up in the Trenton railroad station. Her last words to me were to keep oiling the sewing machine. I must have overlooked a crucial oiling, because little rust spots are causing the thing to tangle the thread and rip the fabric. I guess I got my $60 out of it, though.

Tell you what. I'm going to start a home-grown Project Runway thread on my personal blog (http://kategallison.blogspot.com/) as soon as the new machine comes. I found a new online source for yard goods direct from Seventh Avenue. If you like clothes, or you like sewing, you can come on over and follow that. But if you're looking for tidbits about Malice you're out of luck here, because I've been brain dead since about five o'clock last Saturday.

Kate Gallison