Going Slow

It's been a busy week since I last posted. I've finally gotten myself back into a reasonable creative writing routine and I'm trying to work my way up to consistently higher daily word counts. Rather than going about in my usual fashion of working on a dozen manuscripts at once, I'm taking the time to focus my attention on one until it's finished. This also means that I will limit my distraction time on this blog and social networks.

Though it was finished a few weeks ago, the new issue of Terracotta Typewriter is online. As always, I'm looking for new work to publish in the next issue, which I hope to have complete in May.

I've also been refocusing my attention on my Chinese studies. Listening to Chinesepod as background noise and reading the same chapters of my textbooks again and again have not helped me make progress since returning to the states. Since Jia convinced me to start a new Web site to teach non-Chinese cooking to the Chinese, I've decided that I need to learn more vocabulary and grammar related to cooking (mostly because Jia doesn't have a lot of time to translate the site between work and studying). So, I'll do my best to start translating the posts at Laowai Kitchen on my own and ask Jia to edit my attempts at written Chinese. A lot of the posts on the site are about traditional foods that we take for granted, but I'm also experimenting in the kitchen--usually with positive results.

And because it is Friday, here's a photo of the inspiring beauty of the Fujian countryside. This group of tulou on the hillside was our first stop on our morning journey through the region. Most tourists have photos from above and below the group--the Chinese think it looks like four dishes and a soup from above (I agree, it does resemble a Chinese table setting).

Retreat

I was talking with an American poet and professor in China, and he mentioned wanting to set up a writers' retreat in China. Of course, he made a reference to having the retreat above the clouds as a source of inspiration for the ancient poets. While I knew that was impossible, I figured I could suggest a location that would be close enough.

I do think Tian Chi in Xinjiang would make a great backdrop for a writers' retreat in China. I just hope Jia and I can save enough money to travel out there this summer (even if there are no other writers to meet).

The Jumble

I've been a little busy lately--though not as busy as I'd like to be. I feel like I'm going in quite a few directions--sort of like this tree I came across in Penang (does anyone know what it's called?).
Not sure why I didn't mention this on here earlier, but I finished putting together Terracotta Typewriter #3. This issue is pretty heavy on prose and light on poetry--I hope to even that out for the future. So, now I have to begin working on issue #4 and get back to updating the blog on the site more regularly.

I also published an article on healthcare (a rather sore subject here in the US) at Freelance Writing Jobs. And it looks like I'll be doing a little travel writing in the near future. I hope all this writing gets me into a better groove to work more efficiently on my novels and stories.

Greener Pastures

I really do wish I was moving to greener pastures...

I finally got around to hooking up and using my old scanner. While I had it out, I decided I should scan some writing samples. Most importantly, I had to scan my short hotel reviews from Guangzhou. A few years ago I was commissioned to write about the three best hotels in Guangzhou (China Hotel, Garden Hotel, and the White Swan) for Insight Guides' Asia's Best Hotels & Resorts.

My copy of the book was sent to my parents' house while I was still living in China, so I never really had the opportunity to look through it until now. I'm amazed by some of the hotels listed in this book--I doubt I would be able to afford to stay in most of them (I'd rather not spend $400+ a night on room). But reading some of the information about the destinations reminds me of what I'm missing by no longer living in China--the ease of international travel. Now that I'm home, I have to make a lot more money in order to save enough to take a decent vacation.

Reading about these opulent hotels has at least provided me with a little more motivation to get writing in the hopes of making enough money to stay just one night in any of them. (Actually, I did get to stay at one of the hotels listed for Hong Kong because I stayed in my uncle's room.)

On Writing

I've come to the conclusion that I can't write at home (at least nothing more than blog posts or articles). This is nothing new, I just have to remind myself of this every now and then.

Last week I went out for a long walk around the neighborhood--I've discovered that I'm bored with this area--and took an extended rest at the Xinjiang restaurant. I managed to start writing a new story within minutes of sitting down and ordering a beer. And this same thing happened last night (although it was poetry rather than a story).

This certainly dates back to my time in Boulder, CO, and the time I spent working on my creative dissertation at the sake bar. I quickly discovered that this habit only worked if I had one or two drinks--anything more turned my writing to garbage.

With my discovery (OK, it's just a reminder to myself) I will most likely spend the better part of my last four weeks in this city taking short walks that will end at the Xinjiang restaurant with a bottle of Tsingtao.

All work and no play...

Because another foreign teacher is ill, I have been called upon to start work two days early. I don't mind much, it's an extra six hours for the week. In all, I'll make enough this week to pay my rent. Plus, I think this week is in the current pay period, which means I should get paid at the end of March rather than the end of April.
On another note, I'm trying some of the small-time paying web site out there. My feeling so far is, it was a waste of my time. I think I've made a whole $0.40 in the last three days. Hardly seems worth it. I think I'll stick to writing articles for a little cash and adding Google ads on the side for a few extra pennies. The most worthwhile endeavors online so far have been Gather and Associated Content. Gather has it's glitches, but it's more of a fun thing to use anyway. Associated Content pays a little, but I certainly wouldn't give them anything I could potentially sell elsewhere. Most of the writing on that site is pretty bad and you have to dig deep to find anything worth reading. Still, I'll take $10 from them for a hotel review when I have them. A few dollars does go a long way in China.

Words

Ok, looks like I finished my writing assignment. I think it turned out alright, but I'm not completely satisfied with the results. I never realized how difficult it is to fit so much information and colorful language into 250 words. That is a really small space for a hotel description--especially when these are some fancy hotels with a lot to write about.
Well, I just hope the editor is happy and they pay on time.