For days, I've been trying to write scenes that I know must be included in Episode 5 of the science fiction serial I am writing, but the words and the images are far away.
Saturday, I never ventured out of my house, and did a lot of sleeping due to headache and nausea, ailments that have plagued me on-and-off since last weekend. Perhaps all that stillness was a boon. About an hour ago, like timid deer, images approached and let me transcribe them, but only for a little while before they bounded into the undergrowth once more.
Episode 4 has been captured and tamed and will soon be sent into the civilized world of pre-publication proofing. (How's that for alliteration?)
As a slush reader for an online magazine, much of my otherwise creative time has been spent reading submissions and proofing accepted manuscripts. I have one more proof to go this weekend--an accepted entry written by a friend, Jade Smith--and a couple more submissions: one a cold submittal, and the other a resubmittal after requested revisions were made. (Would you look at that. More alliteration!)
In September and these first several days of October, the submissions came in a rather large spate and, after a while, I had to stop reading. Some of them were abysmal. Some were darkly comic. Some of them glowed with quality writing.
I wonder how many of the authors of the rejected pieces sat at their computers and wondered why their "precious" (a fantasy reference) did not meet with open arms. After all, Fear and Trembling is a small magazine, relying on volunteers behind the scenes in order to maintain its presence on the web. But size doesn't matter when it comes to the quality of the stories. How else can a magazine expect to grow if it does not provide readers with a well-written array of reading material?
A writer must give his best effort, regardless of the venue. He never knows who's reading.
He never knows who'll pass along the word to others.
I'm sure he hopes it's a good word.
In that spirit, I'm up at a heathen hour, trusty pen in hand, hunting the timid word-deer, hoping to bag a few more before nausea nabs me again.
8 comments:
Keep at it Keanan, with your 'trusty pen' in hand!
By the way I love what you wrote in the comments section of Pappy Texican's post today. Very well said.
I do hope the nausea subsides and heads off into the night. It sounds as though you've had far too much to do and to read. My the deer be a darling and not a demon for you. Ooh, a bit of my own alliteration!
Just can't get away from me can you? Hope you start recovering soon. I would love to ride into NW Arkansas before long and see the trees. Are they pretty yet? Pappy
Hey, thanks for the mention! And you are so right about people who practice sloppy writing--it'll come back to bite you every time!(I am still moaning about my Assasin story--it maybe can be salvaged)
Check out the painting on my site--I did this last night. I started with a different theme in mind, and this one found me--definitely NOT a timid deer!
Write or be...written about? ;)
Lavinia - Yep, the trusty pen has been capturing quite a few words in the past 24 hours; however, those have mostly been in the editing mode for other folks, helping fix sentences, etcetera. Darn it!
BT - Hope you're having fun touring. The headache has subsided, thank you, and now I've nowhere to pin the blame for the odd things I do.
Tex - The trees in the Valley are turning, great for photography, if I can grab a few hours to go wandering. By the way, I'm meeting Nancy this weekend for a poetry seminar in NWA. I'm not sure WHERE exactly; it's free, and she knows the details.
Jade - I think the Assassin story has merit. Please don't abandon it.
Phy - Precisely!
Kudos on the alliteration :)
I always wondered who had to slog through submissions for various publications. Now I know it is slogging. Good luck, and hope you feel better soon.
Eagle - Sometimes the slogging lightens to a casual walk, but I cannot recall a time I've sprinted. There IS some excellent writing to be found, however, along the way.
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