I received word that I did not win the West Virginia Fiction Award. This was a disappointment, but it was an honor to have been included among the finalists.
It was mostly difficult because chief among the criticisms I received from the final judge were formatting issues that could have only been altered after the story was sent in (electronically).
I was asked to paste the story in the body of an e-mail (as well as attaching it in a Word document) and I can only assume that it was then copied and pasted again where the original formatting was lost.
So it was a bummer to read a detailed critique mostly about formatting issues (“Never, never, never, ever send in a story without page numbers!”) when almost all of those were in the original story.
Oh well. Such is life. Next time I’ll be sure to ask if that kind of thing is being done. And I’ll ask for UN observers. Hopefully this won’t affect my Heisman campaign.
One wonders what would have happened if the judge would have seen the story as originally formatted. But I really do still think I would have lost.
As a wise man once said, “Somebody call the waaaaambulance.”
Next week at this blog: Even more whiney action! Don’t miss it!
The latest installment of The Fledge Chronicles is out and you don’t want to miss it.
I took that last sentence from Cliché Adverts Plus and inserted “The Fledge Chronicles” where it said “your product name.”
I am a marketing genius.
This story is called Missing Inaction and it’s the heartwarming tale of a two lovers who hate each other at first and then later they fall in love and save the factory and heal old wounds. It’s a fun ride for the whole family.
Again, Cliché Adverts Plus. I inserted “Missing Inaction,” which is the real name of my real story and it doesn’t have anything to do with two lovers and saving the factory and healing old wounds.
It’s really about what happens when a man spills coffee on his shirt while trying to exit his vehicle by means of his window. Then other stuff happens after that. There’s funny parts.
You can subscribe to West Virginia South if you want to have these stories and so much more delivered to your house anywhere in the United States.
Again, Cliché Adverts Plus.
But, there literally is a picture of a cool biplane on the cover of WVS.
The editor says in the table of contents (which is a table where magazines store their contents) that this S.D. Smith fellow will have you “roaring with laughter.” This is funny because there’s a part about a lion (recall: roaring) in this little yarn which was first discussed in The Lion, the Bridge, and the Wardrobe Malfunction. That being the first Fledge story published, this being the last –latest. This one follows up on the lion fiasco a bit.
OK, I am officially out of marketing-juice and I’d rather be punched and kicked in the corner for a few hours than look at this keyboard for ten more seconds (ever feel like that?).
Thanks to you for reading and for sending me full boxes of Big League Chew.
I got a bit of good news last week. I learned that I am a finalist for the West Virginia Fiction Award. This is another in a long series of positive developments in my writing career for which I am very grateful.
I am taking it as a bit of confirmation that all the work I am putting into this effort is paying off. It would be wonderful to win, but it really is nice just to be nominated. Did I just say that? Oh well, ‘tis true enough.
The story is a humorous one, and I think the Award is more geared toward more serious work, so we’ll see if it makes them laugh enough to look past the real serious stuff. See, I’m already building a psychological defense mechanism against losing –maybe it will work. Self-delusion? Maybe I should have gone into politics after all.
There are other good things happening on the authorial front that I will fill you all in on whenever they become official, or mostly official.
Patience is a virtue that certainly seems required for this kind of work. I am discovering that a key to success lies in continuing to be active even while you wait. If the thing you wait for doesn’t pan out, then have something else in the ‘ole pipeline.
Remember there’s a lot in your hands, and a lot that isn’t. Keep writing, keep imagining, keep on yielding in your heart to the Sovereign God of all.
While my novel has been done for a while and I wait on that front I’ve been very active with The Fledge Chronicles serial and good things keep happening there and my imagination conjures up some really fun possibilities in the future for the citizens of Fledge.
The latest of my stories from The Fledge Chronicles is available in the latest issue of West Virginia South. Latest. Latest. I always hate to use that word so much when I’m doing these newsy posts (which will have their own featured area in the new website –across the Jordan).
The latest, latest story is called The Young and the Heckless and it takes us back in time to understand a bit more about the development of some of the principle characters in the stories. That sounds boring but it’s so not boring. It’s the longest story yet (again, not boring though) –I was surprised, and thankful, that my editor did not want to cut it down at all.
I also wrote a little story about my favorite restaurant, the As You Like It Cafe, and they put that in the magazine as well. That’s my first non-fiction officially published. You should check out the restaurant if you are in southern West Virginia. It’s the best and is run by some great people. Also, they cater. To you.
Our dear friend Jodi alerted us all here about a short story contest being held by Portland Studios. They were asking for a back story to the animation they had developed called The Mad Bull. Watch the animation.
When Jodi announced this contest, it was in the comments section of this blog and she said:
“Hey Sam, (and anyone else who likes to write, even though Sam will beat you if he submits), there is a short story competition over at Portland Studios – www.portlandstudios.com – looks pretty fun and interesting.”
Though Jodi will be insufferable after being proven right, I am amazed and very happy to report that I did win the story contest. This is encouraging. I am honored to have been selected by people I have a lot of respect for. These guys make some amazing illustrations. I have been blown away by Justin Gerard’s work, and everyone there is so talented. So -it’s grand.
There’s a little story in my own experience writing the story that I may relate later, but for know, head over to Portland Studios blog and check out the story. Leave a comment if you would. “This is real dumb,” would be an option.
My new Fledge Chronicles story is out there on newsstands all over the place. Or, if you can’t find a newsstand, you can subscribe to West Virginia South for the home delivery of these so-called “good” stories and all the other great features of the magazine.
I may try to get together a post with a preview, but I’m not sure that those are all that useful. I am growing more and more convinced that people want short posts, not long ones. And it’s hard to do a preview of a short story short enough to be of interest, but long enough to make any sense.
The following is a sneak-peek of the newest story from The Fledge Chronicles, “The Dear Slayer.” We catch up with Ben Gray, broken down on the side of the road…
He began to pace, then opted for opening the hood. This proved difficult to do in its dented condition. He examined the engine intently. It reminded Ben of touring that modern art museum in Manhattan with his sophisticated college roommate. Questions came to mind –Foremost: “What am I supposed to be seeing here?”
Ben was equally bewildered by six-cylinders and Jackson Pollack. But at least he knew there was usefulness underneath the hood. He still saw no value in the modern artist’s attempts to say something profound by means of splattering. This car, however, took him places. But not so much now. He almost gave in to the kind of despair that causes men to kick cars, heedless to the fragility of the human toe. But then something happened, and that something was a truck driving by. Then that something stopped, backed up in predictable fashion and stopped again a few feet away. Ben was saved. Perhaps he could escape this night with shreds of masculinity intact. Then the someone that had driven the something emerged into view.
Ben was prepared for all manner of grizzled old men. His fingernails would be blackened by manly work, his resume loaded with years of labor beneath vintage cars, Red Man hat cocked at an angle apparently intended to highlight a resemblance with Gomer Pyle. Much like many who have tried before, he was not at all accurate in his prophecies concerning the identity of his savior. Out of the stopped truck stepped the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. It was dark out, yes, but the night was an ineffective concealment in this case. Ben felt that the sun rose and he could see just fine. She smiled as she approached.
“A deer hit you?” she said.
Ben thought of her voice as the radiance of a lighthouse on the stormiest, blackest night, but with a southern accent that gave him a sharp case of what doctors in medical journals call “the tingles.” “I said ‘A deer hit you?’” she said again.
“I think so. But I started it,” he said lamely.
“Well, it looks like you got bent up a little.”
“You should see the other guy.”
“I’m Sarah and apparently your savior.”
“I’m Ben—fully prepared for conversion.”
“Well, Ben. How’s the engine look?”
Ben peeked again at the series of hoses, steel, fans, caps and sundries.
“It seems like its fine. Maybe a slight fever?”
“Not the teacher’s pet in auto shop, I presume?”
“He called me Nancy, if that helps.”
“No worries,” she said, moving beside Ben to peer into the engine, “I have a little experience in the vehicular health department. My dad is a whiz with them.”
Ben caught the scent of her perfume and general cleanliness in his nostrils.
Is that shampoo? What is that?
He felt he had made the transition from almost heaven to the real thing. Everything about her entranced him. She was intoxicating, and he was now broken down on the side of the road under the influence.
“Well, I’d explain what’s going on with the engine,” she said, closing the hood, “but I’m not sure you’d understand, Nancy.”
The latest issue of West Virginia South has arrived. I haven’t seen it for more than a few minutes yet (my brother, Will Smith, stole my single copy –I would tell our parents on him but he would probably argue that parents just don’t understand).
I do know that it contains a story from The Fledge Chronicles entitled The Dear Slayer. This is, of course, a take-off from that great novel by James Fennimore Cooper, The Deer Slayer, which is a very similar story except for the total difference. This latest story has been referred to as “not horrible” and “almost readable” by high critics and other drug users.
I like it, actually. mKhulu, in yesterday’s comments, stated it was “by far and away the best yet” of the Fledge stories –but he is biased. My editor, however, agreed. She said it was her favorite so far, and those two comments make for my best reviews yet.
The title illustration is once again wonderfully created by Rex Queems, an excellent bit of art (better than Jackson Pollock, anyway). Rex really has the ability to create an illustration which carries not just the details of the story, but its essence. (Not deep, but comical.)
It’s ironic that the story contains a reference to Jackson Pollock, and I learned that today (while I write this 1.28.09) was his birthday. I found this out by hovering my little pointer icon over the messy thing that was usually where the Google logo is. Please, if you are a Pollock fan, make the case for him to me in the comments. I haven’t seen the film My Kid Could Paint That yet, but I have thought it.
In tomorrow’s post I’ll include a sneak-peek of the current story in the current issue. The cover of this issue is very pretty. There’s a flower on it. It’s nice. Is it just me or do the covers keep getting better and better? None of them have anything to do with me, they just keep getting better. Consider subscribing.
Note: The WVS website usually trails the current issue by a few weeks. It will be updated soon, I’m sure.
The new edition of West Virginia South is out and available at many, many area locations, some of which also offer Snickers bars. Snickers are available inside the covers of the magazine as well, and I mean the kind where you laugh in a mostly-non-ridiculing way.This is my favorite issue yet for a number of reasons. There are several interesting features, including an interview with Becky Kelly, a West Virginia-born artist/writer who does lovely drawings. The WV South editor, Audrey Stanton, shares a funny and wild experience of judging the Pocahontas County Roadkill Cook-off. For real.
It was in that article that I learned a most fascinating fact about my excellent editor. She, like me, has spent some time in southern Africa. I have enjoyed swapping a few stories back and forth and taking that trip down memory lane (a lane of dirt roads, breathtaking skies and beautiful people).My story in this issue, A Very Bad Sign, is advertised in the table of contents as “Nine Laugh-out-loud Moments —at least.” A nice compliment to what I hope is a fun read. This story is also featured in the first section of the magazine, which I am sure will lead to more people reading it. Then, if all goes well, it will lead to those readers not losing their lunch. Not in a bad way, anyway. But if you do laugh out loud a lot, I think that a certain nausea is inevitable. Maybe that’s what he meant when he said my writing made him sick. Of course. Thanks, Brandon!
Adding to the joy I found in this issue is the original illustration that accompanies my little yarn. The sketch was done by Rex Queems, an up and coming artist who I hope will be my saddle-pal for many chronicles of Fledge to come. No, “up and coming” doesn’t necessarily mean no one has ever heard of him. I hear he’s talked about on a popular blog. R.Q. is an old friend and a very gifted artists. I love the sketch he did for this story; it really manifests the character of Heck Davis. I can’t wait to see his next illustration for my next story.
A Very Bad Sign, from the Fledge Chronicles, is available now in the latest issue of West Virginia South. Consider subscribing.
Speaking of invitations, I had one a few days ago that was a pleasant surprise. Andrew Peterson, whom you have heard a fair amount about here at this blog, from his book to his records, sent me an e-mail a few days ago. .
.
I thought it was one of those mass e-mails that people (like me) sometimes send out to promote something. .
It wasn’t. It wasn’t business, it was personal. Well, it was a personal note, anyway. The business of the personal note was to invite me, your humble host here at the Maple Mountain, to contribute to the Rabbit Room. I guess my kiss-up review of his book really worked. Flattery really will get you everywhere, kids. And don’t smoke. And stay away from abandoned mines. And don’t start too many sentences with “And.” .
For those of you who don’t know, the Rabbit Room is one of the most fantastic interweb destinations around. Andrew is the Proprietor of the Room, and his vision is to create an on-line community for artists who are Christians to talk and listen. His inspiration is the Eagle and the Child’s Rabbit Room, where Tolkien, Lewis, Williams, etc. would talk over pints and pipes. It is a great website, with very thoughtful and gifted contributors. Listen to the first RR Podcast to catch his vision.
I am grateful to God for this chance and hope it is an opportunity to bring him glory. I am very humbled by this invitation, and excited by the opportunity to contribute. Of course many people actually contribute to the blog, both in the posts and the comments. So it really does, unlike most blogs, have some community. And Andrew is the community organizer. Buzzword alert. ..
For those of you coming here from there (linking from the Rabbit Room), you are welcome. This is less an English Pub and more a West Virginia porch. Don’t worry, that strange guy sleeping over on the porch swing is harmless. I’m related to him somehow.
