this isn't the continuation of Conceit Part 1 the post of this title was meant to be, but it's more than a bit of conceit nonetheless.
in a fit of self-doubt, i consulted a close friend of mine, who'd read my entry to the graphic/fic awards and whose comments were invaluable in improving the final version (the version i submitted) of the story no end, about what she REALLY thought about it.
here's what Chris Mariano had to say:
I really liked it. I thought you handled the material well, and I felt that you did great in creating a complex history that was still palatable to a new reader.
she denies sugar-coating it, even just a bit, and, needing the ego-feed, i'm taking her word for it. so there.
coming from her, who is, perhaps, more of a writer than i will ever be, despite her cynicism and reluctance to even attempt to be published (come on, Chris... you're doing us a disservice keeping your work from the public. cough it up.), that is a big-ass feather in my cap.
thanks Chris.
having re-read Generations again, i realize i really do love this story, wonky bits and all, and am reluctant to make the slightest re-write to it.
shame no one else will get to read it (and, consequently, love or hate it) just yet. rest assured, i intend to find other avenues to get my baby (and all the rest of them) out into the "real" world.
9 comments:
Hey, just because one avenue failed doesn't mean there aren't other avenues? Right now Dean Alfar (check out his blog: deanalfar.blogspot.com) is accepting spec fic submissions for the 2nd volume of the Philippine Spec Fic anthology to be published by next year.
As for your baby, don't worry about it. I figure that if a story is good, it will find its own home. Keep at it. In the meantime, keep writing also!
Meself, I sympathize about not making it to the Fully-Booked thing since neither did I. But this was just as well since I thought I was being a bit too literary when I wrote my submission. Of course I have a particular irk-ment at the shortlist at the moment but that's neither here nor there. ;-)
Btw, have you read all of the shortlisted stories?
no, haven't built up my ego enough for it just yet, although i scanned through them.
they all look like i won't particularly like them (hate seems like too strong a word, particularly as i may still be harboring some bitterness) except maybe for Atha, which looks promising.
that doesn't mean i won't like them after all after i've read them through, though. have you read them? what did you think? what's your particular "irk-ment"? you might say it's neither here nor there, but let's say it is. go ahead.
thanks for your words of encouragement and for the suggestion. i'll definitely be checking it out.
Heh. Hopefully, these are well-written indeed. I have a particularly bad edit-checker in my head and I can be quite scathing when a story is half-assed done. On the matter of story ideas, well, I'll still have to read 'em to judge.
However, I did go through "Stella for Stars" and though it seemed interesting idea-wise, I thought that it may have been stretched to accomodate a bit of social realism. Will have to go through it again though.
As for my irk-ment, heh, well don't say I didn't warn you. I'm not hating anyone here, mind. However, one of the shortlisters is actually part of the so-called "literary establishment" and it galls me that he managed to make it whereas I-- whose specialty is genre-writing-- didn't. Considering the basis of the Neil Gaiman contest is the genres of science fiction, fantasy and horror, this really doesn't say much about me.
However, it has set the fire in my eyes a'burning (as they say) and I've gone back to writing after a long break (i.e. writer's block) to prove my point.
And also, try the links panitikan.com.ph and ssff.philsites.net for news on possible submission areas! :-)
here's where we differ: i'm a particular kind of masochistic bastard. if i join a contest and i don't even come close to getting a 'thanks for joining' message, never mind an actual fooking award, i go hunt down the winners/shortlisted entries, read them, and then go (a.) 'argh!' if i think my work's better, or go (b.) 'argh!' if i think mine's not better.
no wonder i'm never a judge in any contest: aside from the obvious fact that l haven't got any credentials to pass judgment on anything at all, i'll always be tempted to do anything to make myself win. ha.
Thoughts to drink from Martha Graham: "There is a vitality, a life-force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action. And because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open..."
So to hell with what they think. Keep writing. There is only one of you and the world needs to hear what only you have to say.
You give me far too much credit.
But you already know what I think about this whole thing so you don't really need my affirmation a second time around, right? :)
Anyway, here:
The real writer is one
who really writes. Talent
is an invention like phlogiston
after the fact of fire.
Work is its own cure. You have to
like it better than being loved.
- from For the Young Who Want To, Marge Piercy
ack! where to begin. this is pretty cool. never had a discussion going on here before. seems kinda pathetic that it should take off from my own need for affirmation, though. ;p
bc: actually, that's one of the advantages of being autistic not really knowing anyone like me. doesn't quite matter if i find out who the winners are; what will matter is how i find their stories, whoever they are.
paul: a bit of a masochist myself, although i suppose my self-esteem must be a bit lower since i can just go ahead and do that... however, my reaction to the stories will doubtless be the same as yours.
cw: as my acquaintances from spore city are so fond of saying... thanks for the kind words. all of them. boy there's a lot.;p thanks.
chris: about giving you credit... what cw said. my point is mainly that you should get your stuff out there. not to sound harsh, but if it's your "fault", you should get off your ass and work it, and if it's the Man Keeping you down, bugger them! and keep at it.
I know, I know. It shouldn't really bother me but it does. I suppose it's because I consider myself as one of the champions of spec fic, whether it's local or international, and finding myself cut off at the knees is shameful. *slams palm to forehead*
As for being a masochist, thank guff I'm so busy so I can't inflict the pain of reading the shortlisted works for myself to see whether they're better or not. ;-)
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