I don’t write to be famous, I don’t write to be known, I write because I am and I want to be read. How sad to fill a room with paintings no one sees or play music no one hears. Writing is talking without sound, singing without score and dancing without movement and yet, it is all of them. It is a solitary art conjured from thought and expressed by the need to communicate.

HEAD SLAPS, SPEED BUMPS and LIGHTBULBS, one woman's WTF, oops and ah-ha moments of life.

They were published once, and as every writer knows, once is not enough.




Thursday, August 7, 2014

I'm a corn swimming in butter kind of girl


Yesterday I got the nicest rejection I have ever gotten in twenty-five years of doing this.

This is, in part, what I found in my inbox from (agent who rejected me).

“I’ve now had a chance to read these pages, and there’s much to admire – a mix of wit and tenderness, and so many genuine, relatable laugh-out-loud moments.”


HEAD-SLAPS, SPEED-BUMPS and LIGHT-BULBS,
one woman’s WTF, oops and ah ha moments of life

I took about forty, of my (well over a hundred) published essays, op-eds and columns and shared why I wrote what I wrote and what happened after. As I wrapped them all in life as it happens, I found an arc and made a memoir. I thought it worked and now I know it does.

That agent's one line is Sunday dinner with good stuff filling my belly, leaving me satiated and smiling - except for the lima beans. I’m not thinking about the little flattened green orbs which I am choosing to leave on my plate. I'm not thinking of what I do not like.

I’m a believer again. A believer that effort and tenacity are their own reward and that corn dripping in butter tastes a hell of a lot better than lima beans any day. 
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7 comments:

  1. AnonymousAugust 8, 2014 at 7:58 AM

    There's such a comfort in those words, right? An affirmation of the writing, even if the answer was a pass. I'm glad this agent took the time to give you this feedback. I think you deserve it.

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    Replies
    1. Carolynnwith2NsAugust 8, 2014 at 8:26 AM

      Ya know Donna, it takes seconds for an agent, anyone for that matter, to express the positive. For us creative types, a line like that is why we do what we do.
      This particular agency seemed a little different, its agents more in tune with how creative juices sometimes blend a better punch .
      Even though I'm left on the cutting-room floor I will, most certainly, submit future projects to (agent who rejected me). They're not so scary after all.

      Delete
  2. DLMAugust 9, 2014 at 1:26 PM

    That IS a nice response - and how nice to feel reinforced and ready to go.

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    Replies
    1. Carolynnwith2NsAugust 9, 2014 at 2:34 PM

      Just enough nice for me to believe I got it right this time. Whether I REALLY got it right remains to be seen.

      Delete
    2. DLMAugust 10, 2014 at 12:14 PM

      It's all in what we take from things. You're taking heart - always a good option!

      Delete
  3. Jen G.August 11, 2014 at 2:02 AM

    I've read that any bit of positive or advice thrown into a rejection is a good sign. It shows promise and ability and a reason to keep on! Congrats!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Carolynnwith2NsAugust 11, 2014 at 7:21 AM

      I'm likin' the good signs, yup likin' the good signs.

      Delete

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