Worth A Milliion In Prizes

 I wish I were worth a million. I have not felt like a red cent (a phrase soon to be archaic) in months. 

 

Some posts started, almost forgotten, and that I am including here. 

5/15:

I revised “After Making Landfall” because Pangyrus had a deadline of tonight and it seemed a good idea. I had already written up the changes I wanted to me (well, some of them). 

I have done nothing more than glance at the opening page of The Washington Review of Books, but it looks interesting enough to pass along. It is another Substack. 

I cut 2000 words last night from “Unintended” so I could get it into Apex Magazine, but I had sent it there 2 years ago and it would not let me submit. So, I sent it to Clarkesworld. 

I'm going to send “Psychotic Ape” to Apex, but I had sent it there 2 years ago and it would not let me submit. Intead, I sent it to Interzone.

Sound busy? Dishes need washed.

I did the CT scan yesterday. Today, I am getting a car and going on a road trip tomorrow, down to Versailles. I am finally trying to do something concrete about “Chasing Ashes”.
And that is life, so far. 

[What I wrote about my attempts at a road trip are: 5-17-2026: Anderson to Indianapolis; a Day of Futility and 5/18-5/19/2026: Muncie to Indy to Muncie to Anderson.]

5/20

This I wrote last Wednesday. 

Thank you for submitting to New Letters. Although we are not able to publish your work at this time, please be assured that we value your submission and your interest.

Our general reading period is open. You may also send fiction, poetry, and essays to our award programs with yearly deadlines in mid-May.  Awards total $8,000.00 annually.

Thanks, again, for thinking of New Letters.

With best wishes,

 And:

Thank you for sending us "After Making Landfall." Although we must decline your submission at this time, we appreciated the chance to consider it.

We hope you are well and wish you and your work all the best. 

Sincerely,

-Pangyrus Literary Magazine 

Pretty sure this was the day that I learned my problem is a bilateral hernia. Surgery in my future.

Maybe I went to Payless. Pretty sure I went down to the convenience store.

I did go to the writer's meeting. 

Maybe I went to Walmart.

5/21: a bad day spent at the apartment writing. I started on my constitutional law research project. "The Psychotic Ape" rejected:

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to consider your submission. Unfortunately, this particular piece is not right for the magazine. I wish you all the best with your writing, and I hope you'll send Interzone another story in the future.

Yours sincerely,

Gareth Jelley, Editor
Interzone 

5/22: CC reappeared. I was so angry at her. I decided it was wrong to be so angry, and I helped her out. I was bothered enough by how angry I had been since Saturday that I went to Vespers and did confession.

5/23: Walmart for groceries. Worked on my research project. Dealt with the pain.

5/24: Church for Liturgy, home to write and sleep. CC showed up. Angry, chattering, she distracted me from my work. Instead of staying, she left. I went back to work.

 5/25: Memorial Day. CC did not reappear. I worked myself senseless on my research project. Started catching up on my notes for blog posts. A very bad night. 

A rejection:

I appreciate your considering AZURE: A Journal of Literary Thought as a potential platform for "Pieces About A Small Indiana Factory Town, 1976 - 1984". The piece is not quite right for us, but I do understand that much time and effort goes into the literary realization of a creative thought; I earnestly wish you luck in placing it with the right journal.

Though we do not have the resources to provide personal feedback for each submission, what I can illuminate (for the curious) is that--much like those of most journals--our decisions are highly subjective, merely matters of taste and style. Just as one opts for certain books (and not others) from a vast shelf, we choose the works that compel us personally, fully recognizing that others are of equal merit, standing in wait to dazzle another potential reader. After all, diversity in aesthetics is precisely what makes the array of literature beautiful.

To fulfilling successes in your writing life!

Best,

Sakina B. Fakhri

 

 

 5/26: So far, I finished with my group meeting notes, went to Walmart, and almost fell asleep in the bath tub. I'm still recuperating from the flaring up of pain last night. No word from CC. Planning to get on with catching up the blog posts. They are being published today. And theere is one rejection today.

Thank you so much for submitting Love Stinks, but I'm afraid we are going to pass on this. Good luck placing it elsewhere.

Best wishes,
Jessica Bell
http://www.vineleavespress.com

 

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