This story may beg the question: is this writer crazy? Okay. I exaggerate. I'm a writer. It's what I do. But be that as it may. It isn't as if I don't know what I'm writing when I write. I do. Sort of. Nonetheless, I get to the end and find myself thinking, "Really? Did …
Category: neurotic thinking
Maybe No Passion Whatsoever
The world may benefit from my stories...but that's a bit hard to believe, isn't it? Somewhere in my subconscious must be the belief that sharing what comes out of my head is a good and interesting thing. What evidence is there for this grandiose thinking? The rejection letter received today reads: "Thank you so much …
The Common Sense Page from My Brain
The ink is my pen is frozen and so are the keys on my keyboard. Really! It's true! Okay. Really, nothing is wrong with the ink or the keyboard. The problem is in my head. One or two of you may know that a while ago an agent asked to see some pages of my …
Be Careful What You Wish For
When I was 8, I asked God to help my dad find a wife. Dad did find a wife. And she proceeded to turn our lives upside down with her madness and cruelty. When I was in high school, I tried to make this deal with God, "I don't care if I can't get a …
Hey Blog, You’ll Never Publish in this Industry Again.
Rejection hurts. Sure. No surprise there. But rejection doesn't annoy me. People throwing their cigarette butts on the ground annoy me. Students who don't do any work and then insist on moving up to the next level annoy me. Absurd rules annoy me. And publishing is filled with absurd rules. I understand rules of politeness. …
Continue reading Hey Blog, You’ll Never Publish in this Industry Again.
You want my name where?
I can't keep up with all the blogs I want to read, but lo, I have found another one to interest me. Author Anne R. Allen suggests in this blog post that a blog should have the author's name in its title. This is a small detail. And not every bit of blogging advice is …
This is a sign by the side of the road.
When I was 17, I applied to college far away from home. I didn't discuss my choices with my parents. "I want," I told my mother, "to decide for myself--that way I can take the credit if I succeed and I can't blame you if I fail." I don't remember anyone except for my mother …
Book fairies.
Book fairies flutter over your book and turn it into a bestseller. * Today a woman suggested I self-publish my novel. This woman doesn't really know me, and she's never read my blog and she's never read a word I've written, but she is an encouraging person her comment made me laugh because, well, that's …
Please forgive this impersonal blog entry. Your comments, however, will be accepted.
These are a few of the rejections I've received over the years. A few were addressed to me, though many were addressed to Dear Author. Due to the current status of the publishing industry--and the selectivity that the market now demands, we regret that we cannot consider your material at this time. I can't decide …
Dear Author,
Dear Author: Thank you for your submission. It was kind of you to think of us, but we are sorry we are unable to offer to see more of your work. We thank you for the opportunity to consider your materials and we wish you the best of luck elsewhere. Sincerely, ----Inc. I've been in …
Marta Bacon 