Jed pointed me to an…

Jed pointed me to an interesting article by Courtney Love on independent music publishing; lots of parallels with fiction publishing. Worth thinking about.

Kind of a groggy day today; I helped a friend move last night, and now all my muscles are just sore enough to make me want to spend more time horizontal than vertical. I did manage to get a couple of things done after class, though -- finally dropped off my benefits forms (huzzah -- I have health insurance again) and then had another driving lesson.

I really ought to have gotten more done, but instead I came back, read a little and then fell asleep. Sheesh. Maybe I'll stay up and work for a while this evening; dunno, though. Still feel groggy. Just want to sit and watch tv.

David arrives tomorrow, which'll be really nice. We also start the next round of the naming contest. And I have a feeling there's something else I'm supposed to do, but I can't think what. Hmm...maybe not.

Well, I shouldn't bother you with my incoherent ramblings anymore. Wish I had something intelligent to say, but instead, my eyes keep wanting to close...

11:00. Still not asleep. Not really sleepy either -- that 2 hour nap this afternoon really qualifies more as sleep than nap, I think. It's left me too awake to sleep and too tired to do much (like clean my kitchen, which desperately needs it). I have all sorts of work to do, from writing up the last batch of comments on Herotica 7 to grading papers to putting together this group editorial, but I'm not sure that I should be attempting any of those in the rather scattered state my brain is in. Should probably leave them for the morning; I'm going to try to get some work done before David arrives (around 10:30). I sort of want to write. I have nothing to write about.

I want to write a song, actually. Something simple and sing-able. I even spent a little while revising "Leaf and Tide", and I like it better now. But I'm not coming up with anything new, and it's driving me a little crazy. I'd sort of like to write a lullaby for Roshani's little girl (it's going to be a girl! We just found out Monday).

Hmm...just realized that "Leaf and Tide" isn't actually up with my poems. I guess I'll add it to this year, since I don't remember when I wrote the first draft, and this version is better anyway. Besides, there's only three poems from this year -- which is a little startling. I know I've been writing a fair bit; just not poetry, I guess.

The hardest part of song-writing for me is coming up with a decent tune. I'm really not a composer. I know filk people borrow old folk tunes all the time, and I guess I could do that, but it feels a little like cheating. Okay, it feels a lot like cheating. Ugh. Dunno dunno dunno.

Lullaby. Lullaby words. What do I want to write a lullaby about? What do I want to tell this little girl who isn't even born yet? Well, she has great parents just waiting for her. She has two very different cultures to draw from. She has a huge network of friends and family. She has folks who want her to live to her full potential, doing whatever she really loves. Hmm...lots to put in a lullaby. Maybe I should just concentrate on telling her to go to sleep instead...

Oh little screaming baby,
Won't you please shut up
So mommy can finish studying for her board exams
And daddy's not back from work yet
'Cause the evil company keeps him past seven
So be quiet be quiet be quiet so
I don't become the first mother in our family
To throw her baby girl out the window...

No? No. Roshani might not appreciate that.

Argh. Wanna write. Can't write. Argh.

Midnight. Okay, wrote one. Oof. Feel better. I sent it out to the readers list -- it's a lullaby called "Dragons in the Mountains". The tune's just a little simpler than I actually want it, but I have no idea how to improve it. Need a composer/collaborator! :-) Also added Leaf and Tide. You'd think I'd be able to sleep now that I've accomplished something, but instead I feel all exhilarated. Want to bounce up and down. I'll hate it tomorrow, I know. I'd really like to do this one up right and get the music written up and give it to Roshani as a present when the baby's born. But if I don't like it in the morning, that's not so likely. I also have no idea how to get something like that done up; there ought to be some service on the web that takes care of putting songs in sheet music form for you. Surely there are other incompetent people like me around?

Okay. Must sleep. Must stop typing. Must stop typing nonsense. Must go to bed and stare at the ceiling for an hour if need be, but must at least try to sleep.

Good night. (Hopefully for the last time tonight.)

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *