doer of many things

The faster I write the better my output. If I'm going slow, I'm in trouble. It means I'm pushing the words instead of being pulled by them.
- Raymond Chandler

So much writing, so much work!!

But first, time for a random picture of The Greek, Tiny, and Me:


As many of you know, The Vigilant Monkey is well on its way to launching. Yay =) We're looking at at about a month or so from today. I am waiting to see the first mock-up of the site, hopefully by the beginning of this week.

Meanwhile, diligent writers, friends, and family members have been sending me articles, ideas, and thoughts. Keep them coming!!

I have to write up a Craigslist ad for more writers, of course. Now, with everything on my plate, it's just a matter of remembering to do that... as I jot it down in my planner.

Then there's advertisers. We need them. Like very soon. I recently asked an advertising director, of a certain print magazine I have become rather familiar with over the past few years, about online advertising, and the response was that she knows nothing about it nor can she direct me to someone who does.

Wonderful. An already confusing subject and area of anxiety just became more vague and mysterious.

As for my writing (not to mention all the VM copy I have to sit down and compile, like mission statements, media kits, contracts, letters from the editor), I've been doing a lot of that, too.

Last week I sent in my short story for NYC Midnight's 2nd Annual Short Story Challenge. The idea is that they give you a genre and a subject, and you have one week to write a short story about it. In March you hear if you were chosen to move on to Round 2.

Judging from what everybody who read it has said, it was pretty good, and considering that my genre was Drama with a subject of Selling a Home, I was happy that I even finished a story =P
But in all honesty, I was pretty happy with the results, even though I had to trim down a lot of the meat of the description to neatly fit into the competition's required 2,500-word limit.

I also just joined a writing group, which is unlike me, the writer who enjoys not speaking to people on a regular basis, but after a friend invited me, I thought I'd give it a try, and after one meeting, I'm happy I did =) We all come from different backgrounds and our writing styles/strengths/subjects/passions are all uniquely our own, so I can only imagine that our discussions will not only be interesting, but highly informative and helpful as well. Remember that novel I wrote a bulk of back in November? My writing group will be getting a crack at a revised Chapter 1 next week.

Then there's the magazine, and I have two articles that I've been holding up and polishing for as long as possible. By Monday-Tuesday, they should be done and ready for layout, leaving me to breathe a sigh of relief.

I also promised myself I would submit a short story for the Highlights 2008 Fiction Contest. The postmark deadline is Wednesday, January 31. I have an idea that has potential. After a few more car rides, morning walks, and daydreams, I should have a completed plot by Tuesday night - just in time to get it written =D

Oh, yes, and I tried out for Broadway today. It was interesting, by far, and I'm happy to report that I didn't have the urge to go pee at all, not even once, while standing in line with dozens of other singers who were guzzling more bottled water than should be legally allowed.

Random, perhaps, but if you know me, not really, and besides, I have to start giving validity back to that part of my website header that says performer.

If not, Alex's insistence on using such job descriptions as astronaut and buccaneer might finally come to fruition.

Melissa Celeste Navia

Writer | Creator | Spelunker

Perfect.

it's not behind the rhino

To produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme.
- Herman Melville

... and so our good friends at Black Books, a British sitcom starring Irish comedian Dylan Moran, choose an elephant and his missing balloon.

Children's book writing at its finest:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QjbSfCQWrM

and now for some headshots

"When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence."
- Ansel Adams

Out of more than 400 pictures, here are just a few to give you an idea of how my photo shoot went today =)

rooftop tennis and high-end stringing with roman prokes

First, find out what your hero wants. Then just follow him.
- Ray Bradbury

Getting ready to go to Vermont in a few hours to snowboard it up at Killington Mountain, but first, I thought I might tell you about an awesome interview I had earlier today...

For some time now, I have been working on an article featuring CityView Racquet Club, an exclusive indoor tennis and squash club that covers 80,000 square-feet of a building rooftop in Long Island City.

I first visited it several months ago when it was still under heavy construction, but even then, the place looked like it was going to be amazing. Today, I went back for the first time since that visit, and I was right - it was stunning. Growing up playing, loving, and breathing tennis, getting a chance to see such a beautiful indoor facility was really jaw-dropping (especially considering the fact that it was all built on a roof).

From the impeccable tennis (and squash) courts and top-of-the-line fitness equipment (yet to be installed, but if the setting that has been laid out for them is any indication, they will be as equally high-end) to the chic furnishings and relaxed lounge and cocktail areas, it has all the makings of an urban country club overlooking the city. Oh, and the views from the spas, saunas, 2nd-floor windows, and lounge will have you mesmerized while you sip on your pomegranate margarita, click through your e-mails via your laptop (thanks to full Wi-Fi service), catch some flat-screen TV goodness, and wait for your tennis opponent to be done with her massage.

Point is, the place is awesome, and to top it all off, it's going to have a Nike Concept Pro Shop - one of the few in the country. CityView has also joined up with RPNY Tennis, a company that offers the best in stringing and customization services and founded by Roman Prokes, stringer to the tennis stars and, as I learned earlier today, a great individual to interview.

It was one of those right-place-at-the-right-time moments, and before I had time to scarf down two mini sandwiches and several bites of Muenster cheese, Roman showed up at my table to talk, and I found myself engaged in a conversation about rackets, stringing, service, and professional tennis players who Roman has worked with (like Andre Agassi) and currently works with (like Andy Roddick and Maria Sharapova). The service he provides to the pros, he said, is the same type of quality care that his clients will receive at CityView. I even admitted to him that despite how long I've played tennis, I still draw a major blank when somebody at a pro shop asks me how tight I want them to string my racket or with what type of strings. He not only said he understood, but he said that most players are like that, and realizing that, his company's purpose is to take care of a player's racket to the point where he/she doesn't even think about it when match time comes around. A player's job is to play - leave the stringing up to the professionals.

I didn't say anything at the time, but when I make it to the US Open, I think it will be Roman and his crew who will be in charge of my racket upkeep =)

my dad and socrates

The reason one writes isn't the fact he wants to say something. He writes because he has something to say.
- F. Scott Fitzgerald


Thursday night, as many of you know, was my father's book signing at Barnes & Noble in Manhasset, and - of course =) - it was a grand success!!

As always, hearing my dad talk about his book and his work and seeing how people listen so intently to everything he has to say, I can only hope that one day my book signings will be as dynamic and my writing as influential.

Thank you to all those who made the evening so awesome, and for those who didn't get a chance to make it out, you can always still pick up a copy of the book, Socrates: A Life Examined. It will be just like a book signing/discussion... without the signing part... and a little less discussion.

Congratulations, Dad =)

city folk through sleepy eyes

It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters in the end.
- Ursula K. LeGuin

Yesterday was a very long, very interesting day, to say the least.

It all began with only 4 measly hours of sleep...

Several weeks ago, I received four tickets for The View and considering that I had requested them eons ago, I had completely forgotten that I was ever going to receive any. The show basically sends you tickets a few weeks in advance of the date that already has been alloted for you, so you don't have a say in picking what day you want to go - you either go or you don't go.

As we got closer to the date, I realized that no one was going to be able to use the tickets except for me, so Tuesday morning, I dragged myself out of bed at 6:30 to get ready and jump on an early train. That's the other catch - even if you have tickets, it doesn't guarantee that you'll make it in, and I wasn't planning on going all the way to the studio, standing on a line for several hours, and not making it to a seat.

Somehow I managed to make it to the train, get into the city, onto the subway, and over to the studio in relatively good time. I was, fortunately, not very far back in the line, and I had the wonderful privilege of hearing people converse all around me - there were too many character traits, plots, and devices that ran through my head to even begin to describe.

To make a long story short, I made it in, sat in a seat, clapped and smiled, laughed and listened to a one-hour live taping of the show. While many people there, especially those out of town, were in awe of the actual workings of television production, I've seen it all too many times, and even been a part of it enough, to have found much of it very interesting.

The one point that did actually catch me by surprise was just how small the set was compared to what you see on television. Now, I know this is often the case, but for some reason, I thought The View was going to be an exception. In actuality, I felt like I was in Whoopi Goldberg's living room, eavesdropping on a brunch party's semi-humorous conversation.

Best part of the show - every member of the audience got a free Breville iKon Espresso Machine, valued at $300. Not bad for an hour's worth of not-work =)

So then it was off to some consultations with acting headshot photographers. After waiting long enough, and with my short haircut nearing perfection, I figure it's now or never to get an awesome headshot. I made several phone calls, one of which resulted in a rather long phone call that could've been five minutes shorter had I been allowed to tell the photographer that her fee was ridiculous.

One photographer, and the only one, who actually answered his phone was Sam Kahn, at SK Headshots. So I made an appointment for later that afternoon to meet with him in his studio.

Then I headed toward The Graduate Center to answer some e-mails from work via the library computers. I also made some stops at the Bursar and Financial Aid offices - perhaps the happiest, most upbeat offices in all the world!!

Okay, so at this point I'm really hungry, on the verge of falling asleep, and in pain from lugging around my expensive leather briefcase, but nonetheless, there is still work left to be done.

So at around 2:20 PM, I make my way over to the SK Headshots studio. To sum up, the consultation went great, and I was very impressed with the photographer's work.

Afterward, walking back toward Penn Station, I really started to feel the effect of so little sleep the night before. I had one more very important stop to make that day, but I was fading fast, and I was starting to tire very rapidly of city folk. So I decided to call it a day, and I made my way toward Penn to get a pizza. While I was there, eating my $3 pizza, I got a call from my sister who was in the Borders next to Penn, so I went over to meet up with her.

While I was there, it dawned on me that if, indeed, I did stay in the city to finish my final assignment of the day, I would have some place to chill for the next two hours before the event. I decided - I would tough it out and catch a later train. My sister took off, and I made my way to the cafe to get a seat.

There were none. So after searching, I ended up in the Foreign Language section, sitting on the carpet, trying to get comfortable.

By 5:15, I was back on the subway, heading downtown to attend an SCBWI meeting. Doors opened at 6:45, and it was going to feature Rachel Griffiths, an editor at Scholastic. So you can see, why, despite my need for sleep, I wanted to attend.

I arrive at the location... at 5:25... leaving me with the dilemma of what to do until then... or rather, how to sneak in some sleep before then. With no familiar Borders in sight, I found myself in the Jensen-Lewis Furniture Store salivating at the sight of beds, couches, and expensively comfy leather armchairs. When I could no longer hold up the I-really-might-want-purchase-this-two-thousand-dollar-ottoman facade, I left, only to find myself at the Westside Supermarket, nodding off at the window-side counter where saner people were eating sample cheeses and their freshly purchased dinner trays.

At 6:20, I dragged myself back to the meeting area, and, of course, there's a line of 20 people already. Fantastic. Not only had I waited for this all day, been the first one to get there more than an hour early, but now I had the pleasure of standing on another line. Well, 20 people turned into more than 80, and at about 7 PM, the doors (or more accurately, the door) opened. It was so crowded that there were those who never even made it in, but I did, and I could not have been more thrilled to have an actual seat - finally!!

The lecture and information given were well worth the long wait, and I was thrilled I went. Some of it I knew already, some of it I could have figured out, and then there was some of it that was just plain new to me.

At about 8:30 PM, I began the journey back to Penn, ended up staring off into space at the Starbucks there, and at 9:42, I was on my way back home.

A long day. An even longer blog.

I know... I'll probably hear about this one =P

Socrates: A Life Examined - Luis E. Navia's Book Signing at Barnes & Noble

Exercise the writing muscle every day, even if it is only a letter, notes, a title list, a character sketch, a journal entry. Writers are like dancers, like athletes. Without that exercise, the muscles seize up.
- Jane Yolen

For everyone who may not yet know, my father will be having another book signing this week at Barnes & Noble in Manhasset for Socrates: A Life Examined. Due to the great success of his last signing at Book Revue in Huntington (thanks to all of you who attended!!), many people have been asking for another one in the new year, and we are proud to bring it to you -

Book Signing/Discussion with Dr. Luis E. Navia

Thursday, January 10

7 PM

Barnes & Noble - Manhasset
1542 Northern Blvd.
Manhasset, NY

Phone: 516.365.6723 (Barnes & Noble)

Here are some links with more information about the book and my father -

1) http://www.worldmysteriesforum.ch/index.php?id=115&L=1

2) http://www.antonnews.com/westburytimes/2007/06/15/

See you at Barnes & Noble =)

here we go. . .

Write your story as it needs to be written. Write it honestly, and tell it as best you can. I'm not sure that there are any other rules. Not ones that matter.
- Neil Gaiman

So here we are, at the start of a new year.

I was fortunate to spend this past New Year's Eve with my family and my Alex, talking, laughing, reminiscing, eating pizza, watching the festivities on television, playing Mad Libs, watching one of the golden DVDs from the Hercules: The Legendary Journeys box set (treasured memories, indeed) that Alex got me for Christmas, and, of course, Rock Banding it up into 2008.

As I do every year, I asked everyone to think back on what they had accomplished in the past year, what they were most proud of, what had most influenced them, etc. and what they hope to tackle this upcoming year. I always finds this goes better, and proves to be more enlightening, than reciting the familiar, "What's your New Year's resolution?"

For my part, many of this year's accomplishments were carefully documented in this blog, which just so happened to be started one year ago. The blog itself, along with my website, were tasks which I made it a point last January to begin and see through to their success. While I'm still not getting hundreds of hits a day, I'd say the fact that I'm still here writing is a big step in and of itself.

A lot of things took off for me this year, and my writing is at the top of the list. A ton more articles for the magazine, a thousand more ideas in the works, a screenplay contest completed with a short story one on the way, an online magazine on the verge of its launch, and, of course, that book that just so happens to be sitting in front of me right now on my desk, all neatly bound in a black leather thesis binder.

Just this past week I registered for the SCBWI's (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) annual NYC conference taking place in February (the second national/annual conference is held in LA in the summer). How exciting!!

With one book almost complete and two more bursting to be written, I figure it's time to network and mingle with some of my peers =P

Check it out: http://www.scbwi.org/events.htm