Hump Day

Need some inspiration to get through your Wednesday? I thought so. Now get back to work!


PS: Want more? Click on image for full view.

Help Us Redesign Our Site

We rarely ask for funds, but this time around, Fringe needs your help.

At the beginning of February, we turned 3. Over these years we've published 17, soon to be 18 of the Fringiest issues anywhere on teh interwebs, garnering 6,000-35,000 unique users each month. We've loaded the work of 124 writers and artists, many of whom we published for the first time.

We finally want to take better advantage of our digital format by publishing new work weekly, and hosting this fine blog on our own website. But we can't do it with the website we have: each issue takes 50 hours to load.

We're trying to raise $900 over two months to make our Wordpress dreams come true, and to give our webmistress a well-deserved night of sleep. We'll use the time we save to give you more of that content you love.

If you've enjoyed reading site or blog, consider a donation of $5 to help us meet our goal. You can see our campaign's progress through the widget to the right of our blog and all donations are tax deductible, as allowed by law.

We're also offering the following gifts with donations:

• Donate $6 and receive a colorful set of frame-able Fringe excerpts from previous Fringes in the mail
• Donate $25 and receive a sturdy Fringe shot glass
• Donate $50 and receive your choice of an author-signed copy of a small press book or a solid read of your work (up to one ordinary Fringe submission in length), with copious comments, from one of our crack team of editors.
  
• If you prefer to spare us the postage, please put "no gift" in the PayPal message to sender.

Thanks for all your support.

Fringe is a tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and a not-for-profit corporation registered as a charitable organization under the laws of the Delaware. Charitable donations made to Fringe are deductible to the full extent of the law for federal and estate tax purposes. 100% of all contributions made to Fringe will be used to fund its charitable activities. Fringe is currently soliciting donations from residents of any state in which such solicitation is legal. Certain states require us to register as a charitable organization under their respective laws before soliciting charitable contributions from their residents. We are currently so registered in Massachusetts, and can lawfully solicit contributions from residents of that state and the states of Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont and Wyoming. Residents of other states should not construe or deem any content on our website nor any other communication made by or on behalf of Fringe to be a solicitation of their donation or contribution to Fringe. Copies of our registration statements and Annual Reports can be obtained by writing us at fringeeditors(at)gmail(dot)com. Registration with the Secretary of State or Attorney General of any state does not imply endorsement.

Finding that oh so hard to find motivation and time

I have been a procrastinator since birth, and also a pack rat, but the latter is for a different piece. I was the person in college in the computer lab until the early a.m. working on papers due that day (with a lot company I should mention so you don’t judge too harshly). I met my college roommate (that I still live with) by pulling all-nighters. She holds the record in our group of friends for consecutive nights without sleep.

But the difference between myself then and now is that I don’t have the energy to pull it off. And I’m old. Or, older. But the thing is that I work best in the middle of the night. It is usually when I get my best ideas to write, and something about the quiet—of everyone else sleeping—makes it the perfect environment.

When I lack the motivation to write, I take classes, go to readings, and just to try to surround myself with inspiring writing. But similar to many I imagine, my job is becoming increasingly demanding and finding the time to write or to be inspired is difficult at times. Staying late at work just isn’t enough anymore, and I’m beginning to take it home with me. The line between my office cube, and futon in my apartment with papers strewn across my coffee table is becoming increasingly blurred.

In my downtime, my creative juices do not flow at will. I come home and applaud myself for actually making dinner and avoiding trashy VH1 television that helps me calm down after a long day. My time off becomes my time before sleep to not get things done, and to try not to think about work. All I want to do is relax, and my writing takes a back seat. Maybe I need to set a schedule for myself. I have been sitting on the same short story for over a year, not sure of how I want to revise (even though I have been given excellent suggestions through workshops). I’ve tried to set aside entire days for writing, but the vast resources of Hulu have gotten the best of me. I find that like in college, I write best when I have little time. Not rushed that is to say, but when I have pockets of time.

So I’m going to try to set a schedule of “pockets,” and let you all know how it goes. Please feel free to leave comments with suggestions, or locations where I may find or steal your motivation.