Average is OK

Which is to say, this was a fairly unremarkable week or writing. But my average is actually pretty good.
•I reworked Not By Honor Bound, took it to one of my writing groups (not the main one) and read it. It was a rough draft, but we were short of stuff to read, and it paid off: Lots of observations which will help on the next rewrite. Some of them confirmed stuff I’d already wondered about, some of them raised fresh issues.
•I started, once again, replotting Brain From Outer Space. I’m trying to jettison the beginning (which I adapted into Instruments of Science) and see if that makes it easier to rework the plot. Unfortunately (but unsurprisingly) my inability to plot well on a first draft (and this is close to that) makes it hard to flesh everything out.
•I did the final draft of Heads Up and The Savage Year and sent out the former. Alas, already back.
•My pitch for the themed anthology I mentioned last week was accepted. Unfortunately, my work this afternoon on my first draft went close to nowhere. I must do better next week—I have a deadline of Nov. 1, and I know I’ll need multiple drafts.
•The reason for my inability to focus better was that my latest And column came out—on paranoia against Muslims—and I got absorbed in responding the various comments from people who disagreed with my thesis (that it’s ridiculous to treat all Muslims as enemies of America). That was a big distraction.
While some of the flak was about my disbelieving the Muslim threat, a lot more was outrage over my pointing out the existence of right-wing terrorism. I’m not surprised: I’ve never done a column on that topic that didn’t generate cries of outrage. I don’t know if it’s because it’s politically incorrect for them (so much of our post-9/11 counterterrorist policy has been built on the assumption that terrorist=Muslim) or because they dislike being reminded of the ugly underbelly of their own political wing, or what, but it really plucks a nerve.
And now, this week’s ehows (as you can see, I’ve been productive)
•How to Get Joint Ownership in Taking Out a Mortgage
•How to Get a Home Loan to Build a House
•What Donations Received Do I Have to Claim on My Taxes?
•How to Claim Your House on Your Taxes
•Second Home Mortgage Requirements
•Can I Claim a New Roof as a Tax Deduction?
•What Are the Advantages & Disadvantages of U.S. Treasury Bonds?
•How to Sell a Property Held in a Revocable Trust
•Gambling & Credit Card Debt
•What Is the Maximum IRS Charitable Deduction?
•Do You Get a Refund for Medical Expenses Even If You Didn’t Pay Any Taxes?
•Can I Continue to Contribute to 401(k) After a Hardship Withdrawal?Definition of a Stock Share
•Definition of Pre-Market Trading
•How Long Will My Health Insurance Cover Me if I Was Fired?
•What Is Primary & Secondary Driver Insurance?
•When Must a Beneficiary of a Decedent’s IRA Take Withdrawals?
•Reasons for Padding the Budget
•What Can I Do to Protect My Inheritance From Taxes?
•Can I Deduct Rental Expenses If My Property Is Vacant?
•How Adjusted Gross Income Works for Taxes
•How Do I Report Property Insurance Reimbursement on My Tax Return?
•What Is Annuity Income?
•Legal Ways to Create Unearned Income
•How Do I Add Another Person to My House Deed?
•How to Assign Your Money for an Inheritance

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