#also bribery

[tonguetyd]

Can I tell y’all the secret to making kids like you?

It’s “yes and”

Literally just “I’m throwing this blanket at you” “ok well I’m going to be dramatic about you suffocating me” “YAAAAAAAY”

“Here have this Barbie” “okay! Our Barbie’s are going to the restaurant?” “YEAAAAAH”

That’s how simple it is. Just say yes to them playing. Even when you’re tired and don’t want to run around with them, find a way to play with them that doesn’t involve YOU moving too much. That’s the whole secret.

Kids aren’t that hard. I promise.

[seldnei]

Okay, being nice to myself isn’t working, so let’s try this ...

Okay, dumbass, three agent rejections--two of which are personal notes with encouraging words--does not mean your work is worthless, what the fuck, this is a LONG GAME and you know that.

IN ADDITION!  You have EDITS for a story someone has BOUGHT, and you need to just fucking click “accept” on the house style stuff and send that thing back.  THAT IS ALL YOU HAVE LEFT ON IT.

And yeah, I know, your focus has been day job and kid and all that, and it feels like you have no ideas.  That really does suck, yes.  BUT YOU HAVE BEEN HERE BEFORE.  Sadly, you’ll likely end up here again.  Still, though.  QUIT WHINING AND LET YOUR BRAIN GROW BACK.  Watch some bad TV and ask questions about why it can’t be better.  Read some good books.  Listen to both Hadestown soundtracks and consider the crafting there.  Keep thinking about Lovecraft and how sick you are of that particular kind of horror--what else is there?  Re-do your notebooks.  Yeah, yeah, it feels like cat waxing, but that shit works.

SO WE WILL LOG THAT REJECTION!  WE WILL ACCEPT THE HOUSE STYLE EDITS AND SEND THE REST BACK TO THE EDITORS!  WE WILL RE-DO THE NOTEBOOKS! AND THEN WE WILL HAVE REESE’S CUPS LIKE A GODDAMNED ADULT!