... 3 rejections yesterday--the newbie's hat trick ...
May 5, 1999
5:17 a.m.
Okay, I'll admit it. I occasionally listen to Rush Limbaugh. Before you shut off your browser, let me say--despite his opinion to the contrary--Rush is not always right. In fact, it could be said that he's not often right. But he's like anyone else with an agenda, right occasionally, and purposefully misguided a lot of the time. Personally, I'm not a political guy. I don't care much for questions about Republican vs. Democrat vs. Libertarian because I think the entire concept of philosophy gets distorted beyond all capability to understand when power gets mixed in. Heck, it's even worse in a corporate environment, where Dilbert pretty much rules. So I have no "side" in these discussions. I'm self-aware enough to know what I don't know, and one of the things I don't know is the dynamics of how politics really works. Personally, I don't feel that cheated. But I do, every now and again, enjoy listening to people go off on political questions, especially when they think they understand it all. It's even better when they're bordering on areas that don't quite fit the normal bounds of the political arena. At this, Rush Limbaugh is particularly, say, entertaining. Yesterday, the self-proclaimed dispatcher of truth was trying to make a coherent statement about the tornado victims in Oklahoma. And in doing so, he actually equated the devastation of the tornado with the devastation of the Oklahoma City bombing, and in some weird way was trying to make a point about what was "fair" and what wasn't--and how "fair" had no place in the discussion. The man kept going on and on, eventually coming to the point where he was lauding the people of the midwest (and the American people in general) for their capacity to suck things up and go on in the face of such unfairness. Never mind that this capacity is really more of a human capacity than an American one (last I checked, there are flourishing communities in several places around the globe). He continually pointed out that these people weren't outraged at the fact that a tornado had destroyed their homes and communities--devastated, yes. Outraged, no. Certainly he had an agenda somewhere. He must have. I, of course, was too ignorant to completely understand el-Rushbo's point. Instead, I kept thinking to myself. "Rush, why are you equating an act of God with an act of terrorism?" I kept waiting for one of his handlers to wave a flag in his face and say, "Rush, the guy who did the bombing is in prison. They guy who did the tornado is in charge of everything. OF COURSE NO ONE IS GOING TO BE OUTRAGED AGAINST A DAMNED TORNADO!!!" And for Rush to pause, clear his throat, and squeak something like, "Oh, well, that's different. Never mind." I think I'm going out of my mind. Anyway, I try to keep this place focused on writing, you know. And I had a point I wanted to make here. I think it's that I should be outraged against editors who reject my work. Yeah, that's it. Either that or that I should begin to complain about what is fair and what isn't--never mind that the world is stacked against me. Gosh, I can't remember my point! I swear it was right here, right on the tip of my tongue. [image of Ron, sticking his tongue out and staring cross-eyed at it]. Hmmm... My point appears to be gone. Maybe it'll come back. Or maybe I should go listen to Rush once again and just figure out his point and slip it in here? Nah, I doubt that it would apply to writing science fiction--but then, you never know. Ah! There it is. And a cute little point it is, too. Trust me. Mike Resnick has commented that it is harder to break into the world of professional science fiction than it was at any other time in the past. Of course, I've also had people tell me that it is far easier today than it ever has. I've had writers bitching about it, and even done my share of it, I suppose. The whole process seems so nebulous, so uncertain. But it's not. In my scientific process of examination of the world, breaking in requires only a couple things. First, that you write. Second that you write a lot--and of at least moderate quality. And finally, that you keep doing it until you succeed--I'll note here, that I don't think I've succeeded, yet. All the rest is just hoo-haa. All the other advice, the counseling, the pearls of wisdom. It's all hoo-haa. Just have fun writing. All the rest will come. And if it doesn't . . . well, maybe we should be outraged against the editors who aren't buying our work!   Lucas films has, I see, released a video, and has another trailer on the net--four of them, actually. And you can buy the book at amazon.com--with all four covers (note, the book is the same--this is similar to when the nationwide magazines put different covers on their sports magazines in order to boost regional sales, you know, a Carolina player on the cover on the east coast, a UCLA guy on the west...of course, the magazine is the same stuff everywhere). Star Wars figures are, of course, on sale. The buzz is in full swing. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I guess.  Daily Persistence is © Ron Collins |
|
"Still, you must remember this (to coin a phrase): the odds have always been against the newcomer being able to break into print, and every writer whose name you know and whose work you admire (and even those whose work you loathe) beat those odds. If you're good, disciplined, and determined, so will you." Mike Resnick in Speculations |
BACK TO 
|