--THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME I'VE EVER SEEN YOU IN SHORTS

…I have three poems--"Imbroglio," "Combat" and "Archival" up at Right Hand Pointing today. They're also here under "Words in Print."

…Last night I went to a book signing and Q & A by Kristin Hannah.
Although her style of writing doesn't parallel mine, it was very interesting to here her thought process on the craft:
-she never names her novels because her publishers always change them anyway
-she regularly will scrap 500 pages of writing during the editing process
-it takes her 14 months per book (she's written 19, the bulk of which have been on the NY Times ----bestseller list)
-she usually just has a theme when she beings but doesn't know where the book is going or how it will end
There was a good turnout--about 120 people, seven of which were men, me included.

…I've been very staggered the last few days, doing start and stop things either with organizing, submitting to agents or writing, getting caught in the Facebook quagmire or worse: dawdling. It's as if some puppeteer is having devilish fun with me, yanking on the strings every five minutes or so. Is that you?

…Listened to Conor Oberhest this morning. Do you know him? From the band, "Bright Eyes."
By the time he was 13 he'd written 500 songs. The lyrics are clever in a Dylanesque way, although maybe more obscure.

…Rejection gets easier, but it's never fun. The other day I got three. That's a record, especially considering I haven't been sending much short stuff out.
But today I had two poems taken, so we're almost even.

…What's happened today is I've jumped back on the productive wagon. I'm cleaning up a lot of the odds and ends I have around here with regard to unpolished poems and stories. I'm buffing them up and shooting them out into the universe where they'll either be caught or disregarded.
I'm trying to gear up for novel start day which is Wednesday.

…If you're a writer, I wonder if you're like me: do you have stacks of books and folders all around your desk and sort of spilling over the sides?
I have a few hundred (really, that many) story/poem starts stuffed into manila envelopes that I think have potential even if I haven't glanced at them since first writing down the idea. So why save them right? It's hard to cast out a line or phrasing that sounds lyrical or that has moxie. Even if it goes nowhere, at least it's not completely dead.

…So this morning I entered two more contests. Cost $34 but the winner gets $250 for each entry and their face on a place next to the presidents on Mount Rushmore. Something like that.
Contests are labor intensive, not to mention costly financially and time-wise. Why do it?
Why not?

…In the bathtub yesterday I read the inaugural issue of "Mad Rush." There were some great pieces in the anthology. A few inspired me so I wrote a story about a young girl who exacts revenge on her cruel father. It was short and bloody but had punch. I sent it to Dogzplot for a special they're doing called, "Vagina Saint."
I know--creepy name/title/idea.
My piece is called, "Homework."

…Speaking of work, I'd better get to it. Have a great Wednesday and thanks so much for being here.