The Sun Is Shining

After three days of rain, the sun at last, peeks over the horizon at dawn and by the time I arrive at my day job the sky is a brilliant blue. I live in the Southeast, where droughts are common and three days of rain is heaven sent. It is not politically correct to vent my disgust of the gray skies and dampness around here, even though I know there are many who feel the same way.

Anyway, I polished (or what I thought was polished) a short story and submitted it to Emerging Women Writers for their July issue of Passion. It is not a regular story of passion between humans, but rather a passion for the sport of girls softball.

With online submissions, I always print my sent email and attachment so I can keep track of everything. When I reviewed my submission, I was thrown into a writers worst nightmare: A TYPO. It was nothing significant, but I've fretted about it all night and it still lingers in my mind this morning.

I haven't received any word on any of my submissions. I'm dying to hear something but at least I have not been rejected. I tell myself that my submissions are making their rounds on the editors desks. I refuse to believe my writing is so bad, they have a good laugh before tossing my work into the trash. As for the poetry column pitch, I looked through my sent emails and couldn't find the message I sent on June 9th - so I resent it. Hey the worst thing they could do is say no.

So, anyway, I have achieved my short story goal for this week and wrote a first draft of a poem called My Heaven. I'm not happy with that either. I did make some revisions on Chapter 12 of my novel and those I am happy about. Chapters 11 and 12 have been very difficult for me.

Chapter 11 - My protagonist is thrust into a situation that challenges everything he whole-heartedly believes about mankind. Thus the character evolves from idealistic young adult to a jaded and sometimes judgemental individual, much to his despair.

Chapter 12 - Another primary character - a seven year old - is beaten up by a gang of other kids. I love this character - his honesty, the way he views the world, his rambunctiousness, and his high energy. No one can be the same after "a beating" like he gets (I refuse to say I beat him up) and now he must change. I hate to do this but like my protag in Chapter 11, he must change in order for the story to continue.

Alas, the dilemmas we have as a writer.