The more I write...

the more I want to write. I ended up writing two articles today totaling over 2000 words plus a short little murder scenario as well as a paper due for class and an exam completed. I sent two submissions (one the new article, one an older one). Life is good!

Associated Content

I've finally published something somewhere besides on Associated Content. Relentless queries finally paid off. This roller coaster ride of writing is both exhilarating and terrifying. Writing for me has brought me back into a state of vulnerability. A state from days long gone when I had dreams and the world was my oyster!

Welcome back ME!

To the editor

Thank you Mr. Editor (s) for taking time out of your busy schedule to write me a few lines and explain why this piece or that one does not work for you.

As a new writer, your critique is invaluable to me and I realize that it enables me to learn and to grow. Thank you for sharing not only your time with me but your expertise!

You will be hearing more from me and eventually the enticing query that gets your attention will also lead to an enticing piece of work that you won't want to miss out on! Thank you again.

The Competition

I know I am kind of gullible but I was so pleased when the author agreed to review some chapters. I asked for her critique of my writing wanting to know what areas were weak, what needed further development, etc. I had perused her website before approaching her and found that it was well done and that she had a new book listed there that was in the same general topic...although mine has a major different twist.

Her reply letter said five or six years ago my book might have been good but it wouldn't go over now and insinuated that my writing wasn't sophisticated. She could not recommend the book to her readers (well, that was a no-brainer--she is the competition).

I hadn't asked her opinion on whether the book was marketable and certainly hadn't asked her to recommend it to her readers. I simply wanted her to critique my writing. Insinuating I wasn't sophisticated was actually a compliment as the book is a practical guide based on reality and I hope to reach everyday, down-to-earth people as opposed to those high-falutin soe-phis-te-cay-ted ones.

What I find most interesting is that when I went back to her website to see how old her book actually was (maybe it was five or six years old and she was trying to save me some heartache), I found something very interesting... Some of my very good ideas had magically appeared on her website---hmmm, the words were changed but the ideas were clearly mine straight from my chapters! Something is rotten in Denmark.

What I learned:
Never give the competition your book for review.
I'd rather be honest than sophisticated.

Meanwhile, unsophisticated Robin is going to keep on writing!