a writer's life, a publisher's life, a workshop leader's life
A Writer's Life (or thriving on rejection)
Came home from the day job this evening to a rejection letter in my email box. It was one of those form letters that tries to sound supportive and apologetic. ("We receive manywell-written, compelling, stories, but can only take a verylimited number due to constraints of space and style. ") I'm in a pretty good mood lately, so I kind of shrugged and was about to close out the email when I noticed the p.s. "P.S. Your story was a near miss."
This is not the first such rejection I've gotten. What do you do with these? I mean, the first couple were kind of exciting. They are, after all, a higher caliber of rejection.
And yet, they're rejections all the same. The easily frustrated part of me wants to shake my fist and cry out: when will it be a dead on hit???
Eh. Some days rejections sting more than others. Today, I took the compliment of the near miss and surfed the web to another journal's webpage. I already had another place picked out for this story. The second journal also accepts electronic submissions. They already have it in their inbox.
A Publisher's Life (or becoming that guy that delays the release of your book)
The Fatal Gift of Beauty and Other Plays by Christopher E. Ellis is just days from being sent to the printer. Hours, if you count the actual time I need to put into it to finalize the files. Unfortunately, the time I need to put into it requires some amount of concentration, which I lack after 8 hours at the day job. But next week. It's going to the printer next week. Email me at neo@neonuma.com to place your pre-publication order. It'll definitely be ready by September 1.
A Workshop Leader's Life (or learning to lead by pleading)
I have enough participants signed up for the creative writing workshop I'm leading, starting on Monday evening. Now I have the awkward task of getting someone to submit work to go first with the critique session. Actually, the task isn't awkward, but it's going to be awkward Monday evening if we don't have anything to discuss. Actually, we do have one piece, so it won't get awkward immediately. But mid-evening . . . well, I'm sure someone will come through. I actually believe I have the second volunteer, the writer is just retyping the manuscript. Hopefully, this will get easier after the first session.
Having said all that, which I realize sounds like a lot of complaining, which it probably is because I love complaining, I'm also quite excited about this workshop. I've long wanted to try my hand at leading one, indeed, I've been in workshops when I've felt certain I could do better than the person leading it.
Pride goeth before a fall, so this will be interesting.
Nonetheless, I'm excited about the mix of people I have. I haven't met most of them, so I don't know exactly how broad a selection I have, but there is at least a 30+ spread in years among the participants. I can't wait to see what each participant brings to the mix. I think it's going to be a good time.
Most of all, I'm excited to finally fulfill one of the goals of neoNuma Arts, and that's to offer affordable workshops for creative people. Of course, I'm starting with writing, as that's my primary focus, personally, but I hope to eventually (probably very slowly) expand into presenting workshops by other people, perhaps putting together a creativity retreat. Those sorts of things.
I'm all about the slow build, making sure I'm ready before moving forward. This isn't going to happen overnight but it is happening. Keep tuned.
Came home from the day job this evening to a rejection letter in my email box. It was one of those form letters that tries to sound supportive and apologetic. ("We receive manywell-written, compelling, stories, but can only take a verylimited number due to constraints of space and style. ") I'm in a pretty good mood lately, so I kind of shrugged and was about to close out the email when I noticed the p.s. "P.S. Your story was a near miss."
This is not the first such rejection I've gotten. What do you do with these? I mean, the first couple were kind of exciting. They are, after all, a higher caliber of rejection.
And yet, they're rejections all the same. The easily frustrated part of me wants to shake my fist and cry out: when will it be a dead on hit???
Eh. Some days rejections sting more than others. Today, I took the compliment of the near miss and surfed the web to another journal's webpage. I already had another place picked out for this story. The second journal also accepts electronic submissions. They already have it in their inbox.
A Publisher's Life (or becoming that guy that delays the release of your book)
The Fatal Gift of Beauty and Other Plays by Christopher E. Ellis is just days from being sent to the printer. Hours, if you count the actual time I need to put into it to finalize the files. Unfortunately, the time I need to put into it requires some amount of concentration, which I lack after 8 hours at the day job. But next week. It's going to the printer next week. Email me at neo@neonuma.com to place your pre-publication order. It'll definitely be ready by September 1.
A Workshop Leader's Life (or learning to lead by pleading)
I have enough participants signed up for the creative writing workshop I'm leading, starting on Monday evening. Now I have the awkward task of getting someone to submit work to go first with the critique session. Actually, the task isn't awkward, but it's going to be awkward Monday evening if we don't have anything to discuss. Actually, we do have one piece, so it won't get awkward immediately. But mid-evening . . . well, I'm sure someone will come through. I actually believe I have the second volunteer, the writer is just retyping the manuscript. Hopefully, this will get easier after the first session.
Having said all that, which I realize sounds like a lot of complaining, which it probably is because I love complaining, I'm also quite excited about this workshop. I've long wanted to try my hand at leading one, indeed, I've been in workshops when I've felt certain I could do better than the person leading it.
Pride goeth before a fall, so this will be interesting.
Nonetheless, I'm excited about the mix of people I have. I haven't met most of them, so I don't know exactly how broad a selection I have, but there is at least a 30+ spread in years among the participants. I can't wait to see what each participant brings to the mix. I think it's going to be a good time.
Most of all, I'm excited to finally fulfill one of the goals of neoNuma Arts, and that's to offer affordable workshops for creative people. Of course, I'm starting with writing, as that's my primary focus, personally, but I hope to eventually (probably very slowly) expand into presenting workshops by other people, perhaps putting together a creativity retreat. Those sorts of things.
I'm all about the slow build, making sure I'm ready before moving forward. This isn't going to happen overnight but it is happening. Keep tuned.
posted by Neil Ellis Orts at 7:37 PM
1 Comments:
thanks for your recent comment on the West Edge event. unfortunately, the gallery is closing down! the co-op is remaining intact for other projects, such as hanging art in other spaces around town, but they're having trouble making enough to justify the rent, so--no more space for performing poets there! notice how i managed to turn someone else's misfortune into something about me?!
your writers' workshop sounds like fun. wish i could participate. i think one of our poets is going to lead an Artist's Way workshop here this fall. i'll try to do that.
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