Because of Chance, I was thinking earlier about rejections by editors. When an editor says, "It's not right for me," it's the same *exact* thing as if your crush said, "Let's just be friends." They may say, "It's not right for me because I like action, and your story has no action." And you may say, "But the whole story is about a building exploding! How is that not action." But it doesn't matter if you say that, any more than if you tell your crush that all the other girls he dates are redheads, and thus he should want to date you too. Because it doesn't matter. He doesn't want to date you, and the editor doesn't want to buy your story, and the reason they give you may not be based on reality, but that does not mean that their end decision is wrong, just that they are trying to say something nicer than "I don't want this/you."

Here's the important bit: If you argue with either of them, you are being a creepy stalker, and not romantically wooing them. Prove them wrong, if you must--sell the story to someone better, find a better boyfriend. But don't argue with them!

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I started trying new things with Company this evening. Well, something like two hours ago. I've got another 400+ words since then, and a new POV for the rotation--a newspaper article so I don't need to use Johan's POV to tell the story, because his POV just didn't work AT ALL for it--he's neither involved enough in the words or withdrawn enough. Hopefully this will solve the ending problems. As it was, though, I kept realizing that my ending really was the equivelent of just saying "and they were all eaten by bears," only slightly more appropriate in the setting of the story. I think I was killing her off to avoid explaining why I was killing her off. This may solve that problem, but only if I haven't just added more exposition to the story. Time will tell.

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i had forgotten to read Dora's journal in a very long time. It bothered me when I was falling asleep last night. So I remembered to read it tonight.

Tags: art as a business, rules of dating

I can't even remember what I was reading now, but they talked about someone eating 'in the continental manner' and not switching their silverware. And I stopped and stared at the book, trying to figure out why on earth anyone would switch their silverware.

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I'm apparently in the mood for more transparency today, because it occured to me to wonder why magazines don't post sample contracts. They'll give submission guidelines, list the rights they do and don't buy and all that, so why not a sample contract?

I think we're planning something about it.

Tags: art as a business, the coolness of being left-handed