Latest short story

[aellaholcomb]

Hi, I am going to, I think, start a new policy of not filing in grey office file cabinet, not yet ready to mail out stories, but sending to friends. Then I get some reading.
I sent one two weeks ago and one tonight. And have one in the works. This feels good and right.
I also read a review in NYTimes today about a book of short stories by an author I don't know Deborah, oh, I am so bad with names, Kransfield I think. There was an online audio of her reading and it wowed me. Mix of humor and pathos. I'm going to buy tomorrow.

My only goal is to practice enough to see how good I can be. Aella

[Lin]

Sending your MSS to friends is fine, but you will only hear nice things about it.   Friends have a habit of not really telling you the truth because they dont wish to offend.

All my friends have said how wonderful my MSS is and I must get it published, but your real friends are the critics which you can choose to listen with a pinch of salt or just generally take a rain check on your text and improve it if you feel that quite a few critics have said the same things to you.

The problem is, you write this wonderful story and by the time you have it written, someone has found out something in it which could mean you having to re-write some of it again.   Disappointing but probably better than letting it go with glowing comments from well meaning friends compared with some constructive criticism.   Writers Circle is a good way to get the right kind of criticism, then you can choose where you want to take it from there.   You dont have to do what the critics say of course, but it does help.

Hope this is of use to you

Lin

[aellaholcomb]

Lin, I know exactly what you mean.

However, perhaps I have an unusually feisty friend group, because I have two people who tend not to hold punches. One who justwon't reply if he doesn't like something.
But I am doing this was me = to send out.

I'm generating a lot of writing right now, and just felt the need. I will post some here.
But, you know, I justs got through being a co-judge in writing contest, and it was amazing the difference in opinions between us, both with years in the writing world.
I have come to place where I don't believe there is such a thing as 'best" or "good" vs "bad."
The issue is me feeling it's the best I can do today and moving on.
And sending out and letting it make it ways, here in site, with friends, and to I guess little journals would be best external place.
I have to research that. I don't want to set up for fall by sending to REDBOOK and so on. Nor to some literary snob place or to some place that gets l0l,000 ms a week.
So I would take advice on that from colleague. One I plan to send to is the SUN out of chapel Hill. It's midstream but not major league and does welcome new writers. But only one of its kind I know.
And I got some enrgy from submitting a 500 word shortie to WD and think I may submit to some more contests, again, for energizing me rather than expecting to win.
I've got a lot more practicing to do. I've done a lot of nonfiction for agencies/PR/etc. taught writing. But doing my own fiction, the past two years are my hardcore practice and I still have lot to do.
Thanks for response.
And I will post one here when I decide which to use.
And I take all comments with grain of salt. In writing classes I've been rather harshly critiqued and also the other, maybe worse, told how WSONDERFUL it was. Neither is on the money.
But truth - who knows what truth is? ONly one reader and one reader's opinion.
Murky waters. Must trust own guidelight the most.
Interested in response to this; how others feel.
best on Valentine's day. Aella

[aellaholcomb]

Apology. I am rushed and just reread my reply and blushed. I must take time to proof.
I tend not to do that with email and it makes it come across looking lazy or illiterate.
So, for me, I'll try to do better.
    blushing Aella
PS Also, I've been getting bad grades on spelling since first grade. thank heaven for spellcheck. But on this kind of msg, my spellcheck doesn't come up.