The Thrill of Rejection
I finally swallowed my pride, held my breath, and submitted a short story to a publication. It was promptly rejected, and rightfully so. I have a lot of growing to do as a writer still, but one step I needed to take was putting the work out there. I’ll continue subbing the story to publications I enjoy, and who knows; maybe one of them will take it.
I tallied all my words since the new year, and in April I’ve surpassed the 60,000 mark. They are spread out between a handful of unfinished stories, and five completed ones. 60,000 words by April may seem like a lot (and yes, it is), but that averages out to only 625 words a day. I tend to write between 1500-3000 words in any given sitting. That means I’ve had far too many days of no writing than I’m happy with. Had I been more disciplined, I could have double that amount. My goal for the rest of April is to aim for 1000 a day, every day. If I go over, fantastic! But if I don’t, then at least I’ve gotten my practice in for the day, and that’s what really counts at this point. Practice, practice, practice.
A Game of Thrones
Season two of A Game of Thrones has started, and I am thrilled. I adore this show. They have done an amazing job of transferring such a massive story to television, and I can’t wait to hit more of my favorite scenes.
For the premiere, Nathalie and Hattie prepared a massive feast for our friends who came to watch.
The menu:
- Westerosian white bread
- Dornish cheese flight of fancy
- Vale of Arryn summer berries
- The Hound’s cured pork belly
- Dothraki horse and goat jerky
- Ghost’s roasted chicken
- Pentoshi stuffed mushrooms
- Theon Greyjoy’s white wine mussels
- Sansa’s cranberry walnut tart
- Arya’s lemon cakes
- Night’s Watch breakfast loaves
- Baratheon boar ribs
Yum!
A Monster Calls – Patrick Ness
“At seven minutes past midnight, thirteen-year-old Conor wakes to find a monster outside his bedroom window. But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting— he’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments. The monster in his backyard is different. It’s ancient. And wild. And it wants something from Conor. Something terrible and dangerous. It wants the truth.” –From B&N’s Overview
This book showed up on as recommendation on my Nook Touch a few weeks ago. I had never read anything by the author, Patrick Ness, or Siobhan Dowd, who’s idea the story is based. I was drawn in by the cover and by the large number of positive reviews on B&N’s website so I bought it right away.
I read it in a single sitting, and admit I was crying like a baby by the end. It’s a great story about how children cope with unfortunate life events. If you are looking for a powerful yet fast read, I highly recommend it.