tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773097852582328039Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:38:49 +0000metareadingagent searchbellydanceprocessreal lifedoomsday cabareteditingaudience participationpublicationillustrationsramblingswritingused bookstore digsplaylistteachingfriendssource materialhttp://romancingtheweird.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Sara)Blogger83125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773097852582328039.post-6542098188382334490Sun, 22 Jan 2012 23:24:00 +00002012-01-22T18:57:43.274-05:00real lifebellydanceramblingsSo I am on a new drug that's supposed to help me manage my Fibromyalgia pain. For quite a long time I was terrified of getting pharmaceutical help for my condition, but after a resounding success with a sleep drug I started last year I thought what the hell, let's give this a shot too. The drug, which I don't really want to call out by name--let's just say it's popular for FMS--is sort of helpinghttp://romancingtheweird.blogspot.com/2012/01/side-effects.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sara)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773097852582328039.post-6167362907854930626Sat, 31 Dec 2011 15:19:00 +00002011-12-31T10:39:19.279-05:00real lifeFor perhaps the first time in my life I am sad to see a year end. 2011 was incredibly kind to me and my husband. In 2010 we spent most of our time apart. For much of it I drove him back and forth to work every day (a 45 minute commute one way) so I could get to my ESL appointments. In 2011 he got a contract working for a giant multinational tech company and now we both work at home. We spend mosthttp://romancingtheweird.blogspot.com/2011/12/2011.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sara)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773097852582328039.post-7200431545153494158Wed, 21 Dec 2011 00:55:00 +00002011-12-20T20:08:45.664-05:00doomsday cabaretreal lifeteachingbellydanceeditingwriting2011 was kind of awesome. Despite my neuroses and crippling attention deficit disorder I managed to get some good work in. Let's take a look.I finished Redlisted!!!!!!!!11 After going through a months-long period where I couldn't stand to even look at the manuscript, around September I suddenly got the inspiration and the urge to write the last draft, which I actually like and can show to people http://romancingtheweird.blogspot.com/2011/12/accomplishments.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sara)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773097852582328039.post-3680354785605475060Wed, 21 Dec 2011 00:36:00 +00002011-12-20T19:54:19.558-05:00doomsday cabaretreal lifeteachingbellydanceramblingsreadingwriting2012 is coming. I better get some stuff done before the world ends. (John Hodgman says it will and I find his books to be totally credible. In fact they are pretty much my most trusted sources of information, ever.)Last year I went insane with monthly checklists (you can easily find them in the archives) and all kinds of related self-flagellation. This resulted in a hardcore burnout period, http://romancingtheweird.blogspot.com/2011/12/resolutions.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sara)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773097852582328039.post-5677979889603848844Mon, 19 Dec 2011 03:12:00 +00002011-12-18T22:34:36.884-05:00agent searchreal lifewritingSo I have been avoiding querying specific agents because they ask for a writer bio. As someone with no publication credits (yet! I am in the process of trying to find a home for a short story I am actually quite proud of) and no qualifications, I have no idea what the hell to say about myself. I hope it doesn't sound jaded to say that I feel like turdpolishing is necessary. I am just another http://romancingtheweird.blogspot.com/2011/12/auto-bio.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sara)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773097852582328039.post-4282866432007206475Sat, 17 Dec 2011 13:09:00 +00002011-12-17T08:11:21.076-05:00Sometimes I still find time to dance. This is improv, and was shot by my awesome videographer dad. The song is "Cabaret Macabre" by Raquy and the Cavemen. I hope you enjoy!http://romancingtheweird.blogspot.com/2011/12/doomsday-footage.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sara)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773097852582328039.post-3369929664461646351Fri, 16 Dec 2011 21:28:00 +00002011-12-16T16:29:56.997-05:00agent searchThis morning I received a response from an agent that was not a rejection. So now there is an agent out there with my whole manuscript. Please make sacrifices to the gods/patron saints of long shots on my behalf.http://romancingtheweird.blogspot.com/2011/12/update.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sara)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773097852582328039.post-6543610860727991123Sat, 10 Dec 2011 15:59:00 +00002011-12-10T11:30:02.768-05:00real lifebellydanceramblingsA patron asked me this at the show last night.I couldn't tell how she meant the question. Discomfort in her eyes. Perhaps she was trying to square what she'd seen in my performance with her own personal paradigm of sexuality. Perhaps she was trying to submit a gentle complaint, to police my behavior in a subtle way. Perhaps she was merely curious about what I do at home."I dance for everyone," I http://romancingtheweird.blogspot.com/2011/12/do-you-dance-for-your-husband.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sara)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773097852582328039.post-3212616760325549970Thu, 08 Dec 2011 21:54:00 +00002011-12-08T17:00:40.964-05:00agent searchaudience participationwritingAfter getting some secret feedback, I have taken another stab at the query. Some cheese has been removed. I am trying to strike a tone between cheese and dramz. Not sure if this succeeds any better than the last attempt.Writing this thing is in many ways harder than writing the damn novel was. I just deleted this sentence: "I am not cut out to write copy." SHUT UP SARA. Ugh. I will endeavor to http://romancingtheweird.blogspot.com/2011/12/here-is-second-stab-at-query-letter.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sara)9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773097852582328039.post-3322369019747096845Thu, 08 Dec 2011 13:41:00 +00002011-12-08T09:23:38.088-05:00agent searchaudience participationwritingWell, yesterday I got my first rejection for Redlisted. I am crying zero tears. That's the way things go, and I'm sure it's just the first of many on the road to success (or wherever it is that I'm going).The rejection letter brought to my attention the fact that the query letter I was using sucked. Thus, I started from scratch and wrote an entirely different one. It is posted below for your http://romancingtheweird.blogspot.com/2011/12/rejected-also-query-letter.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sara)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773097852582328039.post-3011123515448400994Mon, 28 Nov 2011 23:27:00 +00002011-11-30T08:40:12.597-05:00agent searchpublicationwriting(also known as old news to people who follow my Facebook feed.)Redlisted is done. Finished. Complete at 80,000 words, it's finalized and I will work on it no more. I have sent it out to two agents so far. I plan to send it out to one agent a week until I run out of agents to bother or someone indicates interest.Some rather optimistic (or kind) friends of mine are all like OF COURSE it will be http://romancingtheweird.blogspot.com/2011/11/it-is-done-commence-phase-two.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sara)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773097852582328039.post-6898919946218511014Sat, 05 Nov 2011 14:55:00 +00002011-11-05T11:21:38.152-04:00I have always been an anxious person prone to rumination and insomnia. I started getting panic attacks when I was in high school. Some time in college I went to a psychiatrist (once) about the problem (yes only once) and she told me I had Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I proceeded to do nothing about it. (I am 27 now and I have done nothing about it.)Some people are anxious about social situationshttp://romancingtheweird.blogspot.com/2011/11/anxiety.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sara)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773097852582328039.post-1154915822631411130Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:26:00 +00002011-10-27T11:06:30.829-04:00real lifebellydanceSo what follows may seem like another woe-is-Sara kind of post, but rest assured, that's not what I'm feeling. I just want to take stock of things by writing them out. And I feel fine. I'm happier recently than I've been in a long time.I think it's time for me to re-evaluate my ambitions.I've been trying for three-ish years to 'make it' as a bellydance teacher. By 'making it' I mean making enoughhttp://romancingtheweird.blogspot.com/2011/10/sweet-death-of-ambition.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sara)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773097852582328039.post-2379828325732918371Sun, 25 Sep 2011 13:11:00 +00002011-09-25T10:21:56.587-04:00real lifesource materialThis post is inspired by an old post at Coilhouse, one of my favorite blogs.Rogue.I started using a computer when I was three. Back in the 80s this was the exception, not the rule. My parents had a PC Jr, one of the first computers with a monitor that could display any kind of color. My dad taught me how to use MS DOS to access the games on the PC Jr. My favorite of these games was called http://romancingtheweird.blogspot.com/2011/09/what-made-me-weird-part-one.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sara)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773097852582328039.post-8852699510132779038Tue, 20 Sep 2011 19:23:00 +00002011-09-20T15:41:53.493-04:00doomsday cabaretreal lifeteachingbellydanceeditingwritingSo I'm going to try blogging again. Let's not talk about the hiatus and my related feelings of shame. No one wants to hear about it, least of all me.Instead let's talk about my current projects.The old obsession rears its (ugly? fabulous? combo of the two?) head. After a months-long hiatus, I am working on the fifth draft (sane, normal, balanced decision) of my vampire novel, which henceforth http://romancingtheweird.blogspot.com/2011/09/sara-beaman-re-animator.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sara)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773097852582328039.post-2643831084919642633Sat, 28 May 2011 01:55:00 +00002011-05-27T22:08:59.665-04:00bellydance July 9 at Twisted Dance Studio in Gboro! I will be teaching two awesome workshops and giving a FREE lecture about the history of bellydance! REGISTER HERE: 3">http://www.twisteddance.com/blog/sara-beaman-workshops/Both workshops are open to all dancers, regardless of skill level or stylistic persuasion. I try to include something for everyone! (Hopefully more than one thing!)10am-12pm: Dancing http://romancingtheweird.blogspot.com/2011/05/workshops-in-greensboro.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sara)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773097852582328039.post-2983107142637489794Fri, 27 May 2011 18:58:00 +00002011-05-27T15:13:51.582-04:00real lifebecause I haven't posted in quite some time. I've been feeling kind of drained lately, both mentally and physically, and I haven't had much happen that I was excited to write about. A few weeks ago I thought I had happened across a prescription combination that was going to be the magic bullet for my fibromyalgia symptoms. I was really ready to believe that I might be able to achieve a new http://romancingtheweird.blogspot.com/2011/05/feeling-guilty.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sara)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773097852582328039.post-6965946166263653559Wed, 13 Apr 2011 15:58:00 +00002011-04-13T12:34:51.690-04:00processbellydanceramblingseditingwritingI have a confession to make. I am a serial procrastinator, and I have the attention span of a puppy at a public park. I have low energy, I can't remember what happened five minutes ago, and I can't seem to get organized no matter how hard I try. I'm basically a cautionary tale, so it might seem that I'm the last person in the world that should be writing about productivity. HOWEVER. Despite my http://romancingtheweird.blogspot.com/2011/04/productivity-secrets.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sara)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773097852582328039.post-8268392131002312815Tue, 12 Apr 2011 01:12:00 +00002011-04-11T21:40:12.387-04:00real lifebellydanceeditingwritingThis moment's thought: Oh shit. That's right. I have a blog.So I haven't blogged in over a month. That's shameful. Here's a hasty attempt to assert my enduring devotion to the interwebs and to all of my amazing, charismatic, erudite readers, all of whom have excellent taste and should totally keep reading.Here's what's up. I'll keep it to soundbytes.Fibromyalgia. I am probably having some sort ofhttp://romancingtheweird.blogspot.com/2011/04/what-is-up.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sara)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773097852582328039.post-1730492801334818130Tue, 08 Mar 2011 16:27:00 +00002011-03-08T12:12:29.082-05:00processteachingbellydanceramblingsThis is Part 3 of a 4(?) part series on teaching bellydance. Part 1 (why to teach, and what to expect when you start teaching) and Part 2 (resources for new teachers) are available at the links.Part 3: Cultivating UniquenessSo you've started teaching, or you're considering it. How are you going to distinguish yourself from the other teachers in your area and create a niche for yourself? In other http://romancingtheweird.blogspot.com/2011/03/teaching-bellydance-part-3.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sara)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773097852582328039.post-4433105542341108481Thu, 03 Mar 2011 03:32:00 +00002011-03-02T22:37:48.762-05:00editingwritingI am starting to feel better about the book again. (Let's see how long that lasts.) I'm plugging away at the edits of the even chapters and I think I'm starting to see improvement. Meanwhile, I am busy working on my "short story" which is quickly ballooning in scope and asking to become a novella, a novel, even a series of novels. The more I think about the premise and setting the more I want to http://romancingtheweird.blogspot.com/2011/03/mini-writing-update.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sara)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773097852582328039.post-9007324036917706726Mon, 28 Feb 2011 18:49:00 +00002011-02-28T14:19:33.497-05:00real lifebellydanceeditingwritingHey, guess what? That's what! It's walk of shame time.Here were my goals for February.-Choreograph a solo for the Bozenka show. ALL OF IT.Well, I tried. I got a minute and a half of a new choreo done, then decided I totally hated it. And now I will be doing improv. Abort/Retry/Fail.-Write an epilogue for my book.I did this. And I actually liked it.-Write a plot summary. No, really. Actually writehttp://romancingtheweird.blogspot.com/2011/02/february-recap-and-goals-for-march.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sara)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773097852582328039.post-2763365972638050168Thu, 24 Feb 2011 15:38:00 +00002011-02-24T12:19:54.934-05:00processteachingbellydanceramblingsResources for New and Aspiring TeachersIf you want to teach, but you're unsure about how to lead a safe warm-up, how to help students avoid injury, how to explain safe alignment, and other such concerns, these resources can help.If you are a teacher, and you know of a helpful book, website or DVD I haven't included in this list, please let me know in the comments!Anatomy of Movement by Blandine http://romancingtheweird.blogspot.com/2011/02/teaching-bellydance-part-2.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sara)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773097852582328039.post-7601748795733286429Wed, 23 Feb 2011 22:05:00 +00002011-02-23T18:45:39.867-05:00processteachingbellydanceramblingsI've been getting my thoughts together for some private lessons on teaching. I thought I'd post about it, since I'm trying to organize my mind over it anyway and the easiest way for me to do that is to write.I've been teaching since 2004, which is not that long. I'm not the final authority on anything. Everything in this article is just my opinion, nothing more. That being said, let's start at http://romancingtheweird.blogspot.com/2011/02/teaching-bellydance-part-1.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sara)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773097852582328039.post-5269315414308931939Tue, 15 Feb 2011 17:40:00 +00002011-02-15T12:42:33.884-05:00Early Spring Session 2011This will be a six-week session of classes with no breaks. Classes start on February 26 and run until April 2.Both classes will take place at World in Motion Dance, Movement and Music Center. Find out more about the studio, class policies, and registration at http://www.worldinmotiondance.com !These classes are likely to sell out, so be sure to register as soon as http://romancingtheweird.blogspot.com/2011/02/new-session-of-classes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sara)2