Stacy Horn

It’s going to be a bit busy. I’ve got Echo work to do, an interview with an Australian radio station tomorrow morning, and I’ve got a public-speaking type event which always fills me with dread (and then I get past it). Actually, I think that’s it, that’s what’s scaring me. It’s going to throw off my whole week. I wish I could just not do things that throw off my whole week.

But lately all I hear about it platform, platform, platform. All writers are expected to have a platform. I had to google what that even means. As far as I can tell it means:

– having a big email list of fans.
– and a lot of speaking engagements.
– conducting workshops.
– having lots of media contacts.
– having a blog.
– maybe even a regular column somewhere that keeps your name out in front of the reading public.
– guest blogging on other people’s blogs.

I have to get to work on my platform. (For the love of god.) The 2nd and 3rd items are dread-inducing items. The 3rd a little less. I’ve taught before and it’s public speaking and does involve some dread, but it goes away more quickly because you’re sharing that dread with your students who also have to be on stage with you through-out. Ha. I sound like a horrible teacher.

I’m sure I can think of other things I could do to enhance my “platform.” Maybe I will have regular posts about “Building My Platform.” I’ve already started working on my email list. I had several going and I’ve been consolidating them into one.

Meanwhile, I took this picture a couple of weeks ago. I swear it feels like every week I’m walking through one movie set or another.

It rained. It poured. I mean really poured. I only got a few shots in before the rain started. But I’ve said it before though, I don’t mind getting caught in the rain as long as I’m not cold and except for a few times I wasn’t cold. It was fun to drum drenched! Water splattering everywhere when you hit the drum. A lot of the time I couldn’t see because of my glasses.

I took these three shots while we were lining up at 6th and Spring Street.

I should join in. I was out running errands, and there’s just a fun feel out there. In New York City. This picture doesn’t capture it. I took it because it took this giant bat for me to notice a sign I’ve passed by probably a couple of times a week for 30 years and never noticed.

I’m praying for rain. But maybe not. Oh, I can’t make up my mind. I was thinking for once it would be nice to not drum in the Halloween parade, but to instead stay home and curl up watching scary movies.

I can’t bring myself to not do it though. It feels like defeat in a way, like laying down and dying instead of living. It’s such a fun thing to do, but it’s also ridiculously exhausting. You have to stand for hours and hours and hours waiting for the parade to actually begin. But we’re going to be at the beginning of the parade for once, so fewer hours waiting! What should I do??

The thing is, if it rains, the decision is taken out of my hands! Deciding to not stand for hours in the rain is not the same as laying down and dying.

This is clearly a summer shot, not a Halloween Parade shot.

I walked by this floor for rent and immediately wanted it. Not because it was above a chocolate shop, it just spoke to me. I was immediately drawn. It was almost a deja vu thing, like I had lived there in a past life and was happy there.