I was talking with my sister Shannon a week ago or so about it, and my bro-in-law Benny asked if the story was a social commentary about America. I said he was more right than he thinks.
Yesterday, John and I went kayaking on some river (yes, I do not know my Oklahoma geography) through a nature preserve, on a 'nature trip.' There was little nature to be seen - other than many adorable turtles (John wanted to take them home, but I said no) and a few 2-legged creatures sitting on lawn chairs near some random hill. But they posed little threat. And the water was gorgeous, and John didn't tip his kayak over, nor try to tip me over like at the reunion; all were civil, and it was a lovely trip.
Then, butternut squash soup and French bread, both of which were amazing. I had far too much bread, but it was like Holly's crack dip - you just can't stop.
Today is not a typical Monday, yet - I've caught up at work, read some unusually humorous (unintentionally so) slush, two shorts critted, and now I have to fix "Parasite." John and I talked about what a parasite really is, and now I have an idea of what the story needs. I doubt I'll be able to pull it off completely, but that's what my writing buddies are for. Right? Right.
9 comments:
Congratulations on Becoming Normal's debut at FFO. I really enjoyed it when it came in through the slush, and I pulled for it to be purchased--and I'm glad it was!
Due to the anonymous judging system, I didn't know it was your story at the time. It's always fun to find out who did the writing, and to recognize the name from elsewhere. You've probably read some of my stories in your slushreading as well. :D
best,
David Steffen (one of FFO's loyal slush monkeys)
NOTE: I deleted the previous posting of this comment so that I could add the "email followup comments" to the post in this re-post.
Thanks, David!
That's actually neat, the anonymous system you all use there. I don't think I realized that. And I'm glad you liked the story, too - it was a fun one for me.
I think the anonymous system is great. From my own biased viewpoint, it seems that too often Name Fame is a greater factor in story selection than story quality. By removing the name, the story has to stand on its merits alone. I'd rather take a great story from a newbie than a lesser quality story written by a pro who didn't take the time to make it great.
Of course, a pro who's worth his/her fame would still often be the one purchased, but that's only fitting if his/her writing is actually better.
I wish more markets would use an anonymous system. I only know of a few: FFO, Andromeda Spaceways, and Writers of the Future.
I 100% agree with you (and 9 times out of 10 in our Lightspeed slush, the names prove why they're names - but that occasional story...)
So what are the pros to us being on this side of the Name Fame? Work harder, I suppose, keep learning, and churn out stuff that's memorable.
>>Work harder, I suppose, keep learning, and churn out stuff that's memorable.
True, true. This probably has something to do with why Writers of the Future is, bar none, my favorite SF publication. You can taste the blood, sweat, and tears those (relatively) new writers poured into the stories to rise above the rest.
I really enjoyed your story, Erin! I am a total zombie maniac, so right up my alley. :)
Thanks, Wendy!
Just read the story - great stuff!
Thanks, J!
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