This week has gotten away from me. It's preregistration time at Xavier so we've been pretty busy, and yesterday was complicated by having the internet out much of the day at work, as well as the electricity and elevators out for about half the day. Then there was the test I gave on Wednesday in Psychopharmacology, and the one I give in 45 minutes in Physiological Psychology. And, oh yeah, there was that big research proposal from Pharmacy that I had to evaluate. I am ready for the weekend.
I know some of you are NANOing and have probably written thousands of words this week. I managed a modicum of progress on a story called "Twenty-Four Mile Bridge," which is going through its final polishing now. And I temporarily halted work on another tale, "Scritch, Scritch, Scritch," because I need to rethink the ending.
On Tuesday I stumbled upon a review for an anthology called Dark Terrors, which I had a story in quite a few years ago. The reviewer indicated that he liked the anthology except for two stories. Yes, you guessed it, my own "A Splatter of Black" was one of the two he didn't like. The very next day, though, I got a message on Facebook from someone who told me how much they did like my offering in Hint Fiction. There you have the writing life. Full circle from hell to heaven in less than 24 hours.
I've got the ideas for several blog posts about writing from reading Peter Elbow's Writing With Power, and perhaps this weekend I'll be able to develop at least one of them. Gotta grade that test first, though. Sigh!
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34 comments:
If you're getting ideas from Writing With Power, I'll have to check it out. I'm certainly getting ideas from Write With Fire.
I hear ya. I've been so busy, I barely had time to post.
I like that Charles, you're right, you never now what kind of comments you'll get from your work-but it sure is nice to get good ones.
Evan, thanks, man. I appreciate the kind words. I'm not agreeing with Elbow on everything but he is making me think.
Heff, too busy handling meat, I guess. ;)
David J. West, does make the day ride smoother.
roller coaster life, indeed... glad you survived a nasty week....
The good ones are always nice. There's no pleasing everyone. Take solace that nothing you produce can please everyone, just as there are some that find your work fun to read.
Reminds me of Arts Evening last year, when the one young woman really liked one of my abstracts, but her mother just offered insults & derision.
Such is the life of the artiste, written, visual or otherwise.
Laughing wolf, amen brother.
Randy, I'm the same way. I read something that other folks have liked and sometimes dislike it, or love something that other people didn't like. Good thing there is a variety of material to read.
Lana, I remember that. It's sometimes disconcerting over how free people feel in criticizing an artist's work to their faces.
Ah, thelife outside the keyboard...I'm not NaNoing, but starting this afternoon i started my own "project" three stories in a month. Something i really feel i can do... if the job allow me to do it. Questioning is a very,... weird stuff.
Reviews can drive you crazy, can't they?
I got a three-star review on one of my e-novels a while back in which the reviewer didn't quite blast me, but he was strong in his criticism. The funny thing was, though, I read the review and all I kept thinking was, "This guy gets it. He hated what my book had to say, but he gets it." I felt rather proud of that review, actually.
Deka, it's often good to set goals. Even if they are personal ones. I should do it more often.
Ty, strangely enough, I was just reading about "reader feedback" today, about how under the right circumstances you can learn a lot from how a reader either gets or doesn't get your writing, separately from whether they really liked it or not.
The phrase that comes to mind is 'ass deep in alligators'-- a sundrome with which I am familiar... :)
Much goes on in my inner world,
but it is not visible in production.
I have had to learn to accept that it is just my temperament to muse more than produce...
Aloha from Honolulu
Comfort Spiral
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Charles: If it makes you feel any better (and at the very least, it will pump up your ego a few p.s.i.'s) I finished reading your Bitter Steel short story anthology and I'll be posting a review of it on Wednesday.
Life does often get in the way! I was out of the country for the first half of the week.
Charles, you're going to need the robo-assistant soon.
Sounds like a crazy week. And there's always someone that doesn't like your work.
Writing is an up and down thrill ride when an author exposes it for public perusal - good... the bad... and the ugly. :)
Steve Malley, Which requires either very careful movements or full out BTW running. Depending on how hungry the gators are.
Cloudia, that’s definitely a fun side of the creative life. It’s nice when stuff comes to you and you don’t even know where it came from really.
G, sound like you approved of the collection then. But of course, you are a discerning reader my friend. Not everyone has your taste. ;)
sage, I wouldn’t have minded being out IN the country the first half. But pretty much got home most nights only after it was dark already.
Rick, yeah, I was excited about “Droid,” until I found it was a phone. Sigh.
Alex J. Cavanaugh, but, but, but, it’s ‘my’ work. How could anyone possibly not love me? Lol.
BernardL, Yes, I bet the guy who disapproved of my story was ugly. Probably harboring secret resentments toward the handsome people. Naturally he saw my author pic and was jealous. :)
Reviewers.
Your reviewer of
"one of the two (stories) he didn't like":
On ChuckerCanuck's Conservative blog here in Canada another "reviewer" wrote in to say my most recent book "sucked."
I answered with the utmost grace, being an um, graduate of The School of Repartee, and an Army journalism course:
You ain't got no class
"Y'r ass is grass.
You got pimples om your ass.
Geez, I think I killed Chucker's blog.
ChukckerCanuck has since gone AWOL and just recently he has resurfaced in a new blog with the delightful new byline of Tarkwell Robotico.
Next time I write into "Tarkewell", I will speak to him in a soothing voice and agree with everything he says, even his commentors.
Geez, Chuck I didn't mean to kill your blog with my crudities.
I coulda sent you the whole novel. :)
Charles,if you want to get your brain in order to handle all of this, go on over to the Writer and the White Cat and watch the Cooks Source video I put up. I've been laughing for 10 minutes at this and I asked the producer to do one about Boyer. It is such a whole new world out there! Who knows, maybe patronage for the arts will make a comeback and you and Lana can be royalty (I'll manage the stables and such for you guys).
Good reviews are always better than bad ones, yet the latter stick more. This is true even for something as basic as library instruction. Too fast, too slow, same session, different people. Pellets and zaps for the exact same thing.
p.s. Is it known what caused the big blackout?
ivan, I've considered responding in that tone to my detractors, but I fear I err on the side of politeness.
Rick, thanks man. Will check it out. we will allow you to eat at the royalty table, my friend, :)
Erik, yes, interesting how that happens. I heard the blackout was caused by a transformer blowing but I don't know for sure. One of the elevators was still out the next day.
Whew, and I thought I was pumping iron this week. Don't forget to take a break, my friend ...
I like how you roll with the punches.
Well on a happier note, your Razorbacks are kicking the Gamecocks tail feathers. Must be nice.
I hope you manage to have a restful weekend Charles.
Don, tomorrow, Sunday, is definitely scheduled as a day of rest.
Jennifer, I was unfortunately not able to see the game. I wish I would have given that they defeated South Carolina pretty handily.
Hey Charles,
Sigh on the grading -- big sigh! I've been way behind on everything -- got to pull it together today -- use that extra hour. :)
Michelle, wish every day had an extra hour.
Charles, Hey busy guy! Take time to smell the coffee--and drink the beer!
Jodi, I did in fact have a couple of drinks yesterday. Enjoyed that and had an early nap.
Isn't scary how your whole day can be revamped by an unexpected lack of Internet service?!
Barrie, yes, we are so dependent on electricity and the computers these days. Pretty scary.
I wonder if I was as busy as you, if I would get more done? You seem to have a lot of get up and go. Impressive.
Carole, I'm feeling this week as if my get up and go has got up and gone.
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