Call it a practice round...

[jack_babalon]

Well I did it. I finished up a short story and sent it off to the acquisiton editor before the Sunday deadline. I really like the work I did, but I recall reading William Burroughs warn potential authors of the peril of liking a work too much on a first draft. Something to effect of re-reading it a second time and declaring - "tear it into little pieces and throw it away in another writers trash bin!" Still the goal for me was two fold - one a practice round, get used to the process of approaching editor and such. Two - I wanted to see if I could will the story into existence in the frame of a deadline ( one of the things I enjoyed about working with Collective Works was trying to come up with a fresh story in under two weeks while navigating through the natural process of 'art-by-comittee' and working within a previosly established narrative). I don't know really if it'll get published, but I'll have more time to prepare for their next issue (I thought the deadline was originally March 15th for some reason) after I finish up the last draft of the novel.

I've always envied my little cousin and fellow writers who have collected their rejections not as mementos of defeat but rather proud scars of their hungry ambitions. Think old man Bukowski tacking rejection letters over his type writer so they were always there in his face when he wrote... little fuck-you's and no-thank's that pushed him on to keep going.

One way or the other I will be published.

Fuck anything that gets in my way or tries to tell me no!

Tonight Vee Valentine time. Tomorrow D&D. Monday back on the novel full time - no excuses!

Thanks for listening btw:)