Tough Love

Believe it or not, yesterday’s crit group crucifixion could’ve been much, much worse. This is what I get for bringing a story that was scribbled down after a Friday nite conversation over too much wine and untouched until the yesterday morning before the meeting. This is why John Rogers’ description of first drafts as “puke drafts” (which I’ve adopted) is so apropos.

Anyway, it was an untitled 280-word flash piece, eviscerated thusly…

FTW

  • Great idea (the opening hook, fashioned from Friday’s conversation)
  • Good opening.

Story!Fail

  • It only takes one wrong word in a flash piece (in this case, “Princess”) to throw off most readers’ sense of time and place.
  • Only 2 out of 5 readers understood my ending (better than none, I guess)…
  • …and everyone else thought it was disconnected/disjointed from my setup.
  • Minor Tense!Fail in the first paragraph

On the upside, one reader felt it only needed a “bit” of revision. And writing it did feel like a victory since I’m finally getting the hang of combining my genre and my flash writing. Hey, don’t take my word for it! (Okay okay, that was such a shameless plug hehe.)

“All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit”

  • 07:52 Seem to have more than made up for Friday nite’s insomnia! Actually up at a decent hour today 🙂 #
  • 08:11 "Don’t you know by now no one gives you anything/ Don’t you wonder how you keep on moving one more day your way… ♫ blip.fm/~87d3u #
  • 08:22 My Sunday groove. If I can keep this in my head all day, I’ll be just fine :). ♫ blip.fm/~87dfd #
  • 09:11 @AWDawno That was the nite I had on Friday. Up at 2 AM and couldn’t get back to sleep until 5 🙁 #
  • 16:46 Probably shouldn’t have brought a puke draft to the crit group but the feedback wasn’t all bad! Evisceration could’ve been a lot worse. 😉 #
  • 20:04 Brain is broken going thru budget! Gah!! #
  • 21:00 New L&O:CI! My Sunday is now complete! #
  • 21:42 Jeff Goldblum’s really pulling out all the Jeff Goldblum stops in this L&0:CI ep! #

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“All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit”

  • 10:53 Massively overslept. Maybe it’s the price I pay for *not* being hungover!! 🙂 #
  • 10:55 Hrm–none of my goodreads updates updated here, why? 🙁 #
  • 12:02 Brunch at the diner, where apparently people in this day & age still wear those tinted shades that clip onto eyeglasses and flip up! #
  • 12:06 Read Intercourse by Robert Olen Butler – tinyurl.com/qe4du9 #
  • 13:14 Downtown. Thought I was gonna write outside but it’s a blizzard of pollen out there! I succumbed to the lure of AC and WiFi. #
  • 13:53 Funny how I caught this while at the library 🙂 RT @McSweeneysBooks "The Librarian: A Twitter Story" by Scott Douglas. bit.ly/VZdHj #
  • 14:01 Maybe I just didn’t have enuff coffee; just can’t get my game on today. Maybe catching up on some podcasts will inspire me. #
  • 15:18 Just the inspiration I needed right now. Sharon Jones interview w/Tavis Smiley. bit.ly/J2Sq5 #
  • 16:33 Dagnabbit–caught in the rain w/o my brolly. Have to ride it out at the bagel place for now. #
  • 16:38 All-day struggle to regain a positive outlook blown because of the twit who couldn’t be bothered to get my order right, the motherfkr. #
  • 22:20 @moonfrye …never got to hear me tell her she was my first love. #

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“All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit”

  • 09:04 Yikes, it’s like King’s THE MIST out there this AM. Made it sooo hard to get outta bed this morning. #
  • 09:38 The best comic book cover, and why: bit.ly/UDhDx #
  • 09:45 7 types of bookstore customers: bit.ly/wh1X1 I’m an Independent some days. Most days I’m the Internet Hobo heh #
  • 10:56 After-work writing time will be spent at a goodbye picnic for valued coworker. Much sadness. 🙁 #
  • 11:31 Hm–might have to rearrange my Sunday plans. bit.ly/1WKO5 #
  • 12:56 Forcing myself to open the #wip file and at least look at the damn thing ;). #
  • 13:13 Glad I cracked the whip on myself, like a Carmelite Monk, to make myself edit the #wip! Why waste a lunch eating? 🙂 #
  • 13:56 Looks like I can no longer use my beloved portableapps suite on the dayjob comp :(. #
  • 16:20 Laughed so hard, my side is in severe pain. Gotta keep workin’ though haha*ow*! #
  • 16:55 #followfriday Two things that have multiplied my productivity 100fold over the past few years: @gtdguy @PortableApps #
  • 21:29 Good God, I love this website. bit.ly/198CmI #

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“All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit”

  • 08:10 #homealone no more 🙂 #
  • 09:05 Hurm–my goodreads update didn’t update here. (As if that were the biggest problem I have right now heh.) #
  • 10:29 Some people have clearly forgotten my rule: Don’t start none, won’t be none. #
  • 12:10 Thanks to skool, I actually understand the principles of "What If Batman’s Villains Considered Economic Theory?" bit.ly/gYmU7 #
  • 13:21 On page 218 of 272 of Black Glass: Stories by Karen Joy Fowler. Just over 1/2way thru "The View From Venus: A Case Study." #
  • 16:00 Feels like I’m getting my psychic equilibrium back. #
  • 17:56 At the PM writing spot with coffee & the Menahan Street Band (thru the headphones). #
  • 18:26 Whoa!! RT@NorwichGrrl RIP Lone Star Stories, a mag that was with me from the beginning. So much love for Eric, who supported so many of us. #
  • 18:41 Just as my story rejections were starting to get "I welcome additional work from you." At least the site’s staying up! bit.ly/17dp4n #
  • 21:37 Wondering if maybe, just maybe #BurnNotice is starting to lose its appeal? Still, never get sick of Bruce Campbell. #

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“All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit”

  • 08:11 Day 12 #homealone. The last day! #
  • 10:06 Note to self: quit mentioning my home closet troubles to gay coworkers. Anticipate not hearing end of it until Xmas at the earliest ;). #
  • 11:48 I think this is gonna be my bday gift to myself this year. bit.ly/6EzH4 #
  • 13:16 RT @ColleenLindsay #Smallpress Day on Twitter! Recommend your favorite small/indie press book today! #
  • 13:17 I can’t decide between M. Rickert’s MAP OF DREAMS (Golden Gryphon) or Ray Vukcevich’s MEET ME IN THE MOON ROOM (Small Beer) #smallpress #
  • 16:44 Woe betide the next person to mess with me at the dayjob. Just ask the last person. This is what happens when you watch too much UFC heh. #
  • 17:43 Decided to go straight home to let the mood improve. You do not want to be the next person to piss me off. Rar! #
  • 17:58 Confirmed my order for CONJUNCTIONS #52 from the local indie bookstore. Mood’s improved already :). #
  • 22:15 @AWDawno So sorry to hear that :(. #

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“All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit”

  • 07:09 Day 11 #homealone. Place is wrecked but not ‘cos I’ve been a slob! Damn closet I’ve been working on is like the TARDIS. #
  • 09:16 On page 195 of 272 of Black Glass: Stories by Karen Joy Fowler. "The Black Fairy’s Curse" is a fairy tale retelling worthy of Angela Cart… #
  • 10:11 RT @raebryant Fantasy Magazine’s Micro-Fiction Contest: And the Winners are . . . www.fantasy-magazine.com [Congrats to the winners!!] #
  • 10:13 Might not have won, but it was well worth it to be able to put "published in @fantasymagazine" in future story cover letters! 😀 #
  • 12:06 Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot. RT @Danchaon Evil Kermit: early Jim Henson stuff. bit.ly/UWwoy #
  • 13:59 Having a caffeine-proof headache & so do some coworkers. They say it’s the low pressure front moving in. Probably Agent Orange or somesuch. #
  • 14:51 Which Fantasy Writer Are You? China Miéville: 7 High-Brow, 39 Violent, -5 Experimental and -7 Cynical! Woohoo!! bit.ly/qYmrd #
  • 16:04 Hot Chicks with Stormtroopers. ‘Nuff said. www.hotchickswithstormtroopers.com/ #
  • 17:48 Eventually, I’ll have lived in this college town long enough *not* to be too bummed saying goodbye to the students I get to know. #
  • 18:45 Hey, I look up song lyrics at work too, but damn. Isn’t STS-127 due to launch soon? bit.ly/uGPOj #blog #
  • 18:56 RT @charlesatan "The Future of Publishing" (podcast) Gavin Grant, Jennifer Jackson, Robert Miller, Bob Stein bit.ly/YFEk8 #
  • 19:10 This #wip should’ve been in the can ages ago, but the ending still isn’t reading the way I want it to yet :(. #
  • 22:02 Was gonna sleep but I just can’t resist EASTENDERS. #

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“All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit”

  • 07:35 Day 10 #homealone. Day off work. So WTH am I doing up at this hour? 🙂 #
  • 08:31 RT @drmabuse RT @CollectedMisc AP: Tough times trigger rush to romance novels tinyurl.com/npm4vj #
  • 08:39 I want to read: Monterra’s Deliciosa & Other Tales & by Anna Tambour – tinyurl.com/ngvdmj #
  • 08:57 RT @PasteMagazine Six Gateway Jazz Albums for Rock Elitists tr.im/nM1E #
  • 09:05 Always embarassed to be seen in one coffee shop by an employee of another one I frequent. Feel like I’ve been busted by CHEATERS. #
  • 09:18 On page 190 of 272 of Black Glass: Stories by Karen Joy Fowler. "Lily Red" starts slow but ends up an engrossing character study. 5* #
  • 09:44 "But today the way I play the game has got to change" #lyrics #musicmonday ♫ blip.fm/~7ui0a #
  • 12:03 Immensely enjoying my day off, but it’s time to get stuff done! Rar!! #
  • 15:09 Poking my head up for air from a closet that’s needed to be cleaned out for *years*. I do’wanna go back but I gotta! 🙁 #
  • 16:08 RT @goodreads Great article by a Goodreads Author: "Using Goodreads Effectively to Promote Your Books" bit.ly/Dtrjb #
  • 19:26 Low Hanging Content (Are You Working Too Hard To Find Material When It’s Right In Front of Your Face?) bit.ly/bEZ4K #
  • 22:42 Switched up the template a bit on the website. Looks kinda Tumblr-ish, now. www.warmfuzzyfreudianslippers.com #

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