Adding color to a rejection letter

Dear editors of any and all magazines and/or book publishing houses:

I received in the mail today a wonderful example of how a writer can actually be encouraged by a rejection letter. Now, I realize rejection letters are the lumps of coal with which we writers build a big enough pile of our efforts so that, when the lighter fluid and matches arrive, makes the ensuing successes burn so much bigger and brighter. They are a fact of the writing life, and if there are any writers who have somehow come across this letter and do not accept that they are going to get rejected and be forced to listen to other's opinions that their writing isn't of acceptable quality...well, I say suck it up or quit. Anyways, editors, I know your schedules are busy. I know form letters are the mark of professionalism and efficiency, and I for one am actually happy at times to receive a rejection letter, because it means you at least took the time to validate my existence at all. But here is a nifty trick that this latest editor from Weird Tales used in rejecting one of my stories (which they did with admirable grace and diplomacy).

They used a different color pen, underlined a few words in the form letter, and signed their name in red. This showed me that a human soul did indeed give a few seconds thought and emotional anguish over turning my tale down. And I say without sarcasm that this knowledge means a lot to any writer, anywhere. (though I don't speak for any writers who don't want me speaking for them)

Am I making too much of too little? Perhaps. We're writers. Our egos are supposed to be bigger and more fragile than those huge Chinese vases you see in the museums (See a writer's ego here!). So make the photocopies, sure. Just toss aside the black pens. Blue is okay. Red works, but sometimes brings back bad memories of graded English papers. Green is nifty. Underline part of the letter. A single word will do, even if it's the Sincerely, or Insincerely part.

You'll be amazed how that small of a thing will turn a writer's frowny face into a smiley face, even when reading a rejection letter.

Sincerely,

Josh


P.S. I see that smile.

Emotional investment

For starters, a couple new links on the writer resources page.

And just to grab your attention:

(see the whole process of how this shoe was made here:
http://www.zoltron.com/shoeseum/)

Not much to say except that I'd wear 'em just to see how many people noticed.

On the writing thoughts for today--
I have been zipping through a couple of the climactic scenes for my most recent story, and I'm happy with where it's going and how it looks like it will end on a strong note. But I'm also happy for the fact that when I write the scenes I actually get anxious and excited. I find myself bouncing in my chair, grinning like a fool and having to get up and pace every so often. Now, have you ever finished a scene or a chapter and then sat back and went, "Thank God I'm done with that boring, cruddy scene and can get on to the fun stuff."? Well, I know I have. And then during revision time I, without fail, find it needs a major spruce-up or cut it entirely. If what you're writing is boring you just to put down on paper, how do you think it's going to affect the person who's supposed to eventually read it? I believe that to get an emotional reaction from the reader, we must invest emotion into the writing process, and a decent gauge for whether we are doing this is how we are reacting to what is flowing from the fingertips. So, yes, that is why it makes me glad that I have actually gotten jittery and smiled a lot, as a lot of action is suddenly happening and the villains are getting (and giving) their due.


I see that smile.

World Fantasy Convention 2006

In cased you missed being able to attend (like myself), here are some updates from the World Fantasy Convention which went on this past weekend in Austin, TX. (http://www.fact.org/wfc2006/)

Congratulations to the World Fantasy Award winners for works published in 2005:

LIFE ACHIEVEMENT
Stephen Fabian
John Crowley

NOVEL
Kafka on the Shore, Haruki Murakami (Harvill; Knopf)

NOVELLA
Voluntary Committal, Joe Hill (Subterranean Press)

SHORT FICTION
"CommComm", George Saunders (The New Yorker 1 Aug 2005)

ANTHOLOGY
The Fair Folk, Marvin Kaye, ed. (SFBC)

COLLECTION
The Keyhole Opera, Bruce Holland Rogers (Wheatland Press)

ARTIST
James Jean

SPECIAL AWARD, PROFESSIONAL
Sean Wallace (for Prime Books)

SPECIAL AWARD, NON-PROFESSIONAL
David Howe & Stephen Walker (for Telos Books)

(as reported by http://www.locusmag.com/)

Apparently next years World Fantasy Convention is going to be in Saratoga Springs, New York. I'd love to get there if I'm still in the area (and maybe even if I'm not and can squeeze it into the budget). Anyone actually get there this year that wants to tell me what it was like in person?


I see that smile.

Sundays come neither before nor after

Are Sundays supposed to be the beginning of the new week? Or are they the end of the last one? Are they a day to reflect on the days gone past, or a day to prepare for the days to come? A Sunday like today seems a like having one foot in the future and one in the past. It is the seventh day...so you can't divide it. Six days before, an even number, six days after. Sundays are odd days, in more ways than one. We often think of Sundays as lazy days, sleeping in, sports, or church. Sunday is a border, a boundary, a transition time. These things have always been given a sort of power, especially in stories of fantasy and other worlds. We think of the border between the open land and the forest. The twilight between night and day, dark and light. The place where the ocean touches the sand, or the threshold of a home.

What does Sunday mean to you? How could you work it into a story? What symbolism or traditions do you link to this day of the week?

And if you are still looking for more story inspirations, check out this website:

http://www.newscientist.com/home.ns

Constant updates on modern science, technology trends and more. There's even a report on how there might not be any more seafood by the year 2050 due to over-fishing and pollution leading to the collapse of marine ecosystems!
(http://www.newscientist.com/channel/life/dn10433)
Wow...I'm not sure if that world would be worth living in. No more lobster? No more shrimp? Gah. Save the fishies today so we may eat them tomorrow, that's what I say. Just my opinion.


I see the smile.