365 days of being a writer: day 168

I did, in fact, start my book review, but I did not finish it. That will likely happen on Wednesday. My two packets were mailed today, so now there will be more waiting.

My twitter pals recommended some books for my next review, but they all look a bit tricksy as far as getting a reviewer copy goes. I think I will read one of mine next. It will probably be The Writing Life by Annie Dillard, but it might also be a Rachel Carson (no, not that one you're thinking of).

I'm brain tired.

My next task is to write an 8-10 page critical paper for KSU; a lit-crit paper, specifically. I have never written such a thing... I am thinking I want to write something about naturalists and what their responsibility is to be factual vs. lyrical and persuasive. If anyone has any tips or resource recommendations for figuring out how to go about this, I would appreciate it. I got a copy of "Writing Essays about Literature: A Guide and Style Sheet" so I'm off to read that as my bedtime story.

I almost forgot. Here are the two other stories that I submitted to NYC's second round (the word was "surprise"):

• "Jessica, bringing home a puppy is a surprise. Telling Joe you used to be Jeremy calls for subtlety." "How about this card then, from 'us'?"
• Running into Watson wasn't nearly the surprise that running into a tribe of cannibals was, Holmes would sadly recount. But when in Rome...

You can read the winner and vote, here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/23BCCNB

365 days of being a writer: day 167

The Night essay has been bundled up. It's going to Creative Nonfiction and The Iowa Review. I feel pretty good about where it ended up.

Tomorrow I plan on writing up my next Xenith review.



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365 days of being a writer: day 166

The Night essay is in final draft. Tomorrow, I will print it out and bundle it up.

It has been a rough week, and I would like to say some things about process and anxiety, but for now I need to rest.

365 days of being a writer: day 165

Another day, another draft. I'm floating on endorphins at this point in the day.

The Rumpus printed one of my poems, here. There's no anchor link, but my piece is on page four.

I think the Night essay is ready for a copy edit. Hopefully, not much else needs to change structurally. I wish my printer weren't busted, sometimes seeing it in my hand helps me ferret out things that I miss on screen.

I'll probably go by my folks after work tomorrow to print a copy.

In the continuing vein of a loose writing playlist...


It's stressing me out that I don't have another review for Xenith ready yet, but I can't muster the mental bandwidth this week. It will be out next week.

365 days of being a writer: day 164

Can't talk. Writing.

(OK, OK. Today I got my Round Two word for the Tweet Me A Story competition-- "Surprise" and I wrote seven and submitted three stories. Then I reworked a version of the Night essay that I just might not be too embarrassed to send to Creative Nonfiction. We'll see how I feel tomorrow after no hours of sleep! Good NIGHT.)

PPPS.: Since I wrote very little here today, please use your time wisely, and read this: You Should Date An Illiterate Girl

My theory is that literate boys find this funnier than literate girls, for whom the truth of page two stings mightily.

365 days of being a writer: day 163

I got almost all of my draft done for the Night essay. At this point, I have no idea if it works, but at least it's on paper.

I also got a call from one of the MFA programs saying that I had no letters of recommendation on file. They were sent last year, and the graduate school office told me I wouldn't need to resubmit them. "I don't know why they'd tell you that," she sniffed. "Did you note in your application packet that you wanted to use last year's?" I told her I didn't realize that I'd need to, based on what I was told.

She went over to the files to try to find them from last year and said that there was no file, and she didn't have my name on the list of applicants from last year. I read her the letter of rejection they sent me, and when she looked again, she found them.

Tonight was the second class on Arizona geology--on the geologic time scale of the Grand Canyon. There was a nice review of the rules of superposition (oldest rock on the bottom), original horizontality (depositions only happen in flat layers), lateral continuity (layers stretch for considerable distances), crosscutting (the intrusion is the youngest rock), and uncomformity (missing time--one of my favorites). The formations at the Grand Canyon have wonderful eastern names, commemorating Dutton's Taoist leanings--the Vishnu mountains, the Temple Butte; as well as Pueblo names, Kaibab, Toroweap, and Coconino.

And thanks to my awesome network, one of my Tweet-me-a-story tweets won the audience award for round one! I get the round two word tomorrow after work.

I finished the book I plan on reviewing, but haven't had time to write the review up. It may be extra late, with the essay taking first priority. Perhaps I can draft something on the bus in the morning.

365 days of being a writer: day 162

This morning I went to the botanical garden and spoke with one of the plant experts. We talked about night blooming plants. I have this sort of idea for an essay, but it requires scraping a lot of what I have already written. I don't know if I can write the idea that's in my head in the next couple of days--or at all, if I don't. I've perhaps waited too long.

In any case, I plugged away at it for an hour, and nearly finished the book I'm going to review next.

Overall, I am pretty disappointed in my work ethic and commitment lately. I want to knit and read and go running. But I can't do those things: I'm supposed to be writing. So instead, I sit at the computer for hours and curse my inability to write. There are too many distractions here, I just need to get away.