Goodbye, Barnabas

Odd that just before we get to see Johnny Depp's version of Barnabas Collins that we lose the original, Jonathan Frid, (and on Friday the 13th, no less) who gave us one of the first broody romantic vampires in the weird late-60s daytime drama Dark Shadows. Not long ago a good friend pointed me toward the series (What? A soap opera with a vampire in it? From the sixties? What?) and though its glacial pace couldn't sustain me I recognize its offbeat appeal, its notable footprint in the ever-twisting pathway of pop culture.

Microfiction in microseconds

It's become a habit now, turning on the computer in the ridiculous hours of the morning to write, if only for ten minutes. Enough for a sentence or two, maybe. But I'm at that point in my new manuscript where that's how things are -- sentence by sentence, or as Anne Lamott might say, bird by bird. I hunt and peck for things that are not quite right, a little incongruous, not exactly the phrasing I meant. Somehow in the grogginess of the pre-coffee morning, that much is clear.

Pulitzer none

No Pulitzer in fiction this year: A once-in-a-blue-moon rarity. But then, so is the collective talent of these three finalists.

Yes, really, what is it?

Skywatch

Storms struck the central plains today and some were killed, among them, children. That morbid joke about tornadoes and trailer parks is not funny. The vulnerable made more vulnerable, put at greater risk. Wisconsin is at the northern end of tornado alley -- 38 confirmed touchdowns last year. They do not strike as often as other places but they do strike, and there are vague warnings for tonight. In the Midwest we are accustomed to watching the sky. A black sky isn't good, a green sky isn't good, a black and green sky is definitely not good. The new urgently worded warnings (Unsurvivable! Catastrophic!) may work the first couple of times but people will eventually go back to judging for themselves. We watch for the moment when the leaves stop still and then suddenly whip into a frenzy; we know when the hail comes then there's a good chance something worse is following. We listen for the sirens but they can be sporadic or late or incorrect. Not hearing sirens can give a false sense of security. We turn on the TV weather guy but the power can go out and we must rely on our instincts and experience. We know when the sky just doesn't look right. Nighttime is harder but frequent lightning reveals blowing trees and fast-moving clouds. We hunker in basements, sometimes sleeping there just to be safe.

Win/lose/draw

So this week I:

1. Was chosen to be my belly-dance instructor's flower girl at our recital during the thank-the-teacher portion of the program.
2. Got a promotion at work.*
3. Earned the top score during a game at a shooter training course. (Why yes, I do have wildly disparate interests. Thanks for noticing.)

And then my luck ran out. I had entered my manuscript in a contest sponsored by literary agent Janet Reid and knew the finalists would be announced this weekend. Not all have been announced, but they have each received a list of questions to respond to. I'd hoped to find something in my inbox tucked between the Kohl's coupons and forwards of adorable animals, but alas, nothing.

She tells us the judges had an extremely hard time choosing manuscripts. I'm among the remaining 400 or so entrants who are now sad-faced, and possibly like me pondering what exactly caused my work to be set aside. Something major? Minor? Arbitrary? Obvious? Did I make it to the final 16? 38? 91? How close did I get? Or a better question: How much farther do I need to go?

I've been watching her blog posts and learned a few things for submitting to agents/contests in the future, including that my page numbers were in the wrong place (mine were in the upper right, but they should be in the lower right. These issues were not disqualifiers to the contest, but noted for our benefit). At first I thought, really? We're worrying about things like that? But when most agents get bombarded by crap on a daily basis, you've got to stand out (in a good way). Point driven home when I got to be the one going through freelancers' resumes and encountered gems such as "Other than studying other people's work, I have very little experience as a writer/reporter." Okay. You're right. I see.

So. Fix it. Embrace the disappointment. Go do some dishes. Wrap a birthday gift. Come back to your desk, sit down and keep writing. Write some more. Are you writing? Yes, yes, yes.

Turns each day into a win.


*When I say "promotion" I mean extra title, more responsibility and no additional pay. So possibly this should not have been included on my list.

What happens to Easter bunnies after Easter

They are fed to the zombie and
their heads displayed as storefront
trophies. Didn't you know?