For my readers who’d like to help those affected by Fuego in Guatemala, in-country associates of a trusted friend have set up a GoFundMe page where you can donate. Financial assets are easiest, since the things their displaced compatriots need most are difficult or impossible to ship, much less deliver to those who need them…
Category: Blog Posts
Rejection, Continued
I mentioned a few posts ago the rejection of my short story “Upshot” due to its use of Spanish words instead of using a language native to isolated Guatemalans. I went on to describe how I had sent forth queries intended to draw on resources among my friends new and old for Mayan replacements. Now…
Wanted: Murderers
Go ahead. Murder my draft. Slash its prose to ribbons. Get stabby with a red pen and make it bleed. No, seriously. I know you think I’m flexing my sarcasm muscle, but I’m not. If there are weaknesses in my work-in-progress, I want—need—to know what they are. That’s why critique sessions are my friend. To…
Don’t Fear the Rowing Machine
You’ll probably think this is ridiculous, but when I first joined my gym, I was afraid of the rowing machine. It’s true. I watched people using it, saw them sweat on it, and heard their puffs/wheezes. It looked so hard, I thought I’d never be able to last more than a minute on that thing….
Here Be Monsters
I seem to be talking and thinking about monsters a lot these days. In part, that’s because I joined Twitter. Rather, I should say I began using Twitter, since I created an account long ago, but never used it for anything other than following Duotrope posts. Now I’m following N.K. Jemisin, Anne Leckie, Tor Books,…
The Nature of the Beast
What is the true nature of the human beast? In the movie Wonder Woman, Diana agonizes over the fact that the war continues even though she has killed Ares. Captain Trevor tells her that maybe the horror of war wasn’t contained in one malevolent being. Maybe a little part of that darkness lives in us…
Humanity Reflected in a Homeless Man
My essay “Dancing Man,” in which I discuss the humanity reflected in a homeless man, was accepted by Across the Margin. It’s a true story, a memory of my encounter with a joyous street person who left an indelible mark on my heart, on my soul. I see people on the streets all the time,…
In Search of Demons
(Warning: May contain spoilers.) What do you think of when you hear the word “monster”? Chances are the first thing that comes to mind are creatures like vampires, werewolves, Frankenstein’s creation, ghosts, Godzilla, or some otherworldly beast. Dictionary.com gives a long list of definitions like “a legendary animal combining features of animal and human form…
Confessions of a Writer
One of my classmates submits some of the most beautiful prose for critique. In his last class submission, his character drives through small rural backwater towns with no traffic lights, where the gas pumps still sport analog dials. The character speaks of being a voyeur, seeing only that moment in time, a snapshot of the…
Knowing I Don’t Know
A few weeks ago, I got a rejection from a magazine for my short story “Upshot.” Rejections are part of a writer’s life, but this one was unusual in that along with the “sorry” came some helpful insight. The main character is a Mayan native living in isolation in the cloud forest region of Guatemala,…