ksmith | Saturday

Just had a highly nutritious lunch--half a 3-piece walleye pike dinner (fried, fried, FRIED) from a local take-out, washed down with a Sam Adams Black Lager.

Breakfast was a slice of whole grain bread with peanut butter and sliced banana, so the day wasn't a total loss, diet-wise.

Shipped out the tax paperwork to the accountant yesterday morning. Cleaned stacks of old catalogs out of my room, filling half a large Hefty bag in the process. Shelved some new books (as though I needed them). Forensics for Dummies. Guitar for Dummies (because I'm noodling with the idea of playing again). Deep Storm by Lincoln Child, because I want to see what a "well-researched" mainstream skiffy novel reads like. Blackwater by Jeremy Scahill, about the mercenary company, and a really interesting-looking book entitled Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin, which is set in the time of Henry II of England.

I am compelled to admit that I have felt a little adrift this past month. After three and half years of dealing with the ENDGAME sword hanging over my head, I now am left to contemplate what to try next. I have outlined a couple of short works. Outlined GIDEON and started the first chapter, which was set aside while I worked on tax stuff. But it's all on spec, and I wonder if I will be able to sell a damned thing this year.

In a way, it's exciting--I don't what what to expect. In another way, it's scary--I don't know what to expect.

And in the back of my mind, I ponder whether plans for a freelance writing career--nonfiction and fiction--are in any way feasible.