For those of you who’ve read my latest short story, I’d be pleased to hear any thoughts and comments you have. Use the “Contact” link on the side bar. Same thing if you’d like to request a copy to read. Don’t be shy — I want reader’s comments, need them really. To those of you who have already read it and commented, thank you.
The comments I’ve gotten so far indicate I need to shorten the story and tighten up the middle portion because it meanders a bit, and thus I risk losing the reader’s attention. Other comments have been variably helpful and not. The story has been rejected at three literary magazines so far, but I would have been surprised, frankly, had any one of them accepted the story for publication in its current form. Which is not to say I sent them a first pass, unedited version; I didn’t. That would have been a mistake, and a waste of my time. What I was really hoping for was to receive some feedback with the rejections, but nothing so far. These were high brow literary magazines and I think my chances of getting this story published in any one of them, even a greatly improved version, is probably pretty low. So my current plan is to further revise the story, to incorporate changes that address the criticisms I’ve gotten so far, at least those I agree with, and re-submit to literary magazines who’ve indicated a special interest in publishing new writers. There is one in particular I came across in the Novel and Short Story Writer’s Market (2011) that prefers stories about the workplace, which, for those of you who’ve read my story, I’m sure you’ll agree mine is.
Synopsis: “Something Truly Egregious” is a kind of coming of professional age story with a tragicomic end.
C’mon, whatya have to lose!