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[Darkmere]

Good news, everyone!

One of the key plot points I've been dreading all month finally came up today. I assumed I'd have to jerry-rig it or BS something to make it fit then fix in edits....

But it came out perfectly as I was writing the scene. Like I almost knew what I was doing. I'm not even going to tell people what it was. But it's awesome!

The momentum from that pushed me over to 40,045 words. I'll have no trouble getting the last 10k this week, then I can push forward to the end of my book the week after. Whee!

[Sappho]

This morning I waited in line at the post office for a full hour to pick up a letter from the foreigner police informing me that my application to extend my long-term residence permit has been rejected. I now have 15 days to appeal, or else I will get an exit order and have to leave the EU within 30 days. I am now mid-nervous-breakdown. I've lived here for over 5 years and have done everything they've asked me to do. I've filed all my paperwork, paid all my social security and taxes. I earn 3x as much money as they require me to. I do a job that a Czech person cannot do (teaching English). You have not experienced bureaucracy until you have tried to get a visa in the Czech Republic as a non-EU citizen.

I'm working on getting a lawyer and figuring out how to prove my income, since they wouldn't accept bank statements, work contracts, or invoices. (They only look at taxes, and I won't be paying taxes on this year's income until the start of next year. Last year I earned far less money, which is what they're looking at now.)

Why am I telling all of you? Because NaNoWriMo is going straight out the window until I can get this sorted out. I'm going to be too busy curling up into a ball and sobbing during whatever time I'm not desperately sorting through paperwork and negotiating with lawyers and civil servants.

If you'll excuse me, I have a lot of beer to drink.

[Caz]

If you'll excuse me, I have a lot of beer to drink.

Hope everything turns out alright, Sappho.

[WillowLuman]

Why the hell won't they accept bank statements? Jeez, that does sound like a nightmare. Here's hoping you can get a reasonably priced lawyer and sort this out.

[Sappho]

They won't accept bank statements because a friend could be transferring the money into my account each month, and then I could just withdraw it and give it to them in cash. So I wouldn't actually be earning the money, just fudging the numbers on the account. Seriously, all of their laws are based around assumptions like that. They won't even glance at a document that doesn't have a stamp on it to verify its originality. As a result, companies (especially banks) can charge exorbitant fees to stamp documents. My bank charged me 300 kc (about $15) to stamp my account statement and verify it as authentic, and then the foreigner police wouldn't even accept it as proof of income. The level of bureaucratic insanity in this country would have made Douglass Adams drown in an ocean of his own tears, if only he had lived long enough to experience it.

Anyway, thanks for the support, guys. I wrote to my boss and he seems confident that he knows a few loopholes that should get me through this. Fingers crossed.

Actually, I may write anyway. I could use to lose myself in something fictional for a while. I'm also playing One Finger Death Punch, which is making me feel quite a bit better overall. Nothing like beating the hell out of stick figures without having to move very much.

[Sirus]

I approve of One Finger Death Punch, it's a great little game for catharsis.

Do they not have the equivalent of W-2 forms in the Czech Republic?

[Sappho]

I'm not an employee. I have a business license and am officially self-employed. So I only file my taxes once per year, instead of having it taken out of my monthly paycheck. The last paperwork was filed in March, and the next round won't be filed until next March. There's no other way to do it, as far as I am aware. But I'll be contacting a lawyer tomorrow to find out what my options are.

I suspect they are supposed to accept things like bank statements and invoices as proof of income, as long as it looks legit and everything has a stamp on it, but the woman I talked to last said she wouldn't accept it. You always get completely different information depending on who you're talking to.

The true root of the problem is that there are a lot of Vietnamese, Ukrainian, and African immigrants here, and the government doesn't want any more of them here. But they can't legally discriminate against only those particular groups of people, so instead they just make it as difficult as possible for anyone with non-EU citizenship to get a visa. Then they do ridiculous shit, like only considering your tax-free income when calculating if you have enough money. When I pay taxes, I get a 60% deduction as a business owner. The other 40% is low enough that I don't have to pay anything on it, but even if I did, the taxes would only be about 30% of that. But they completely ignore that 40%, and only look at the tax-free 60%. My monthly tax-free income last year was 400 kc lower than what they calculate my current monthly expenses to be (that's about $20), so they are rejecting my application. I now have to find a way to prove that I now earn far more money than that. Wheeeeeeee!

[Sirus]

Oh. When you mentioned "my boss" I assumed you worked for someone else :/

Best of luck with the lawyer.

[Sappho]

I do work for someone else. I work at a school, and at a magazine. But I have a business licence, and instead of being hired at these places as an employee, I'm considered an independent contractor. It saves me money, because I pay far less taxes, and it saves the businesses money, because I'm responsible for my own taxes and social security, so they don't have to pay anything. It's a very common arrangement here. Also, if I was an employee, as a non-Czech citizen, I would be forced to work for only one company. I could never leave or change jobs, or I'd lose my visa. With the business license, I can work wherever I want.

Although none of that helps if I don't manage to prove my income and get a visa. A business visa is the hardest type to get. If I was an employee, I'd get one no problem.

[Darkmere]

Best of luck from me and chat, Sappho.

I hope you get this resolved, and I salute your determination. Bureaucracy at its finest. =\

[Malt_Hitman]

That’s one hell of a predicament there, Sappho.  All I can really do is wish you luck as well.  At least it sounds like you have people you’ve been working for pulling for you as well.  I wish you the best dealing with all that junk and that it will all go in your favor.  Take care and hang in there.

[Caz]

On the last chapter of the novel and we're only 19 days in. Uhm... Halp.

I guess I can go back and add things, but I have no idea.

[Sappho]

On the last chapter of the novel and we're only 19 days in. Uhm... Halp.

I guess I can go back and add things, but I have no idea.

Go back through the story and write a parallel storyline that isn't related to the main storyline. Something happening nearby, at the same time, that has nothing to do with the plot. At a few plots in the sub-story, have it intersect with the main story. Once it's all finished, go back and insert these intersections into your main story. Something that's happening in the background, that adds depth to your world. Count all of it towards your 50k, even if you only use a little bit of it in the final story.

I've decided to try to write today. It looks like I'll have to spend every penny of my savings to persuade the government that I earn enough money (by re-filing my taxes from last year). No new computer. No traveling. No Christmas gifts for my friends. It'll take months before I have any savings again. And even then, there's no guarantee that they'll approve my application.

So I'm going to try to write. I still want to finish NaNo one way or another. I also have a sudden influx of readers on my NaNo blog. No idea where they came from. I don't want to disappoint them.

[Caz]

Go back through the story and write a parallel storyline that isn't related to the main storyline. Something happening nearby, at the same time, that has nothing to do with the plot. At a few plots in the sub-story, have it intersect with the main story. Once it's all finished, go back and insert these intersections into your main story. Something that's happening in the background, that adds depth to your world. Count all of it towards your 50k, even if you only use a little bit of it in the final story.

I've decided to try to write today. It looks like I'll have to spend every penny of my savings to persuade the government that I earn enough money (by re-filing my taxes from last year). No new computer. No traveling. No Christmas gifts for my friends. It'll take months before I have any savings again. And even then, there's no guarantee that they'll approve my application.

So I'm going to try to write. I still want to finish NaNo one way or another. I also have a sudden influx of readers on my NaNo blog. No idea where they came from. I don't want to disappoint them.

Thanks!

Come do some word wars.

[Doomblade187]

On the last chapter of the novel and we're only 19 days in. Uhm... Halp.

I guess I can go back and add things, but I have no idea.

Go back through the story and write a parallel storyline that isn't related to the main storyline. Something happening nearby, at the same time, that has nothing to do with the plot. At a few plots in the sub-story, have it intersect with the main story. Once it's all finished, go back and insert these intersections into your main story. Something that's happening in the background, that adds depth to your world. Count all of it towards your 50k, even if you only use a little bit of it in the final story.

I've decided to try to write today. It looks like I'll have to spend every penny of my savings to persuade the government that I earn enough money (by re-filing my taxes from last year). No new computer. No traveling. No Christmas gifts for my friends. It'll take months before I have any savings again. And even then, there's no guarantee that they'll approve my application.

So I'm going to try to write. I still want to finish NaNo one way or another. I also have a sudden influx of readers on my NaNo blog. No idea where they came from. I don't want to disappoint them.

I wish you well in your ventures.