Wednesday’s WIP: Odds & Ends

Some nice developments in my writing life over the past week or so:

  • I’ve received two exciting book-reviewing assignments (I can’t talk about them in any detail yet–but I’ll let you know when I can!).
  • I’ve joined the roster of panelists who will be participating in The Whole Megillah Conference on Jewish Story in May.
  • I’ve submitted my first article invoice for 2014 (that article won’t be out for quite awhile, but again, I’ll let you know when it’s available).
  • Some not-so-nice developments:

  • Another contest loss and another litmag rejection.
  • Another article-pitch rejection from a publication that I’m beginning to think simply won’t ever publish me.
  • I’m still waiting on some freelance payments that should have reached me in 2013–but didn’t.
  • So that’s what’s “in-progress” with me. What about you?

    13 thoughts on “Wednesday’s WIP: Odds & Ends

    1. What about me?

      2014 has been off to a great start, which is a brilliant contrast to my latter months of 2013.

      – I finished a collaborate, full-length manuscript of poems with poet David Tomaloff. It’s a conceptual collection combining original poetry with text appropriated from letters of correspondence between everybody from civil war soldiers through modern celebrities.

      – I finished my chapbook and intend to send off to contests soon.

      – I’ve made significant progress on both my full-length poetry collection and my novel.

      – Some of my poetry will be appearing in Hobart Literary Journal this Friday, and last night I received an acceptance letter from Heavy Feather Press regarding a set of poems.

      – I have a book review coming out soon as well.

      That’s it for now. I’m feeling good about things. Of course the crash will come. It is feast or famine, correct?

      Ha! re: Your comment about a publication you think will never publish you. I feel the same way about a certain journal. It’s to the point I believe they’ve blacklisted me, but I keep sending them new content regularly.

      1. J.Scott,
        You’re putting 2014 on the fast track, aren’t you? That’s good. In the small world department, I recently read David Tomaloff’s Bruises/Insect Exchange ( Footnotes to an Excerpt from Jane Hirshfield’s ” Bruises” ). If interested, see the Website link above for a review of Edge Of The Pond, Selected Haiku and Tanka by Darrell Lindsey. I think you might enjoy some of the poems.
        Staying busy certainly helps the feast part of the famine/feast equation!

        1. Thanks for the note, Darrell. Good knowing you’ve read some DT. Thanks for sharing the link. I really dig haiku, though I hardly ever use the form other than to trigger a longer poem. I do maintain a few here and there. I’ve got a few books of haiku and have learned quite a bit from them. I also really enjoy working with haibun.

          I should be linked above if you want to take a look at my site. It also links to the literary journal I publish, though I recently handed the editor-in-chief gig to somebody else so I could have more time to write.

          Hope all is well for you!

    2. HL Carpenter says:

      We just got a request for the full manuscript of our NewAdult novel! Wheeeee! YAY! …EEK! We’ve got to read through it…just once more…we swear!…before we send it… 🙂

      Congrats on your upcoming reviews and article, Erica, and keep knocking on the door of that one pub. Just think how great you’ll feel when they say yes…and they will.

    3. HL Carpenter says:

      Oops, sorry for the name misspell. We know it’s ERIKA…fingers got ahead of the brain… 🙁

    4. Lisa Romeo says:

      All good stuff – hey even the not-so-good stuff is pretty typical and not terrible because rejections, etc. mean you are in the game, as of course you know. I think most busy writers can also identify one venue that we keep trying but deep down we are convinced that pub has put our face on a dartboard in the editor’s office! Here’s to more successes in 2014!

      1. R Klempner says:

        “I think most busy writers can also identify one venue that we keep trying but deep down we are convinced that pub has put our face on a dartboard in the editor’s office!”

        Ain’t it true? I’ve got one of those–I think they hate my style, though, not me. 😉 What’s really funny is how most of us keep submitting to those venues, even when we get one rejection after another. We’re asking for punishment!

        On the other hand, my friend Judy Gruen just published her first piece in the WSJ after YEARS of trying. So maybe it’s good not to give up.

    5. CD Mitchell says:

      I got the video trailer for my new story collection, “Alligator Stew” to be released by Southern Yellow Pine Publishing later this month. The young man who does these is still in high school and does some impressive work. If anyone is interested in using his services, let me know and I’ll be glad to share his contact info.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aXsx-APIf0

      The publisher I used for my first book was a joke, so I’ve didn’t have a video the first time around, but this thing makes me even want to go back and read the book, even though i wrote it!

      Once again, I enjoy and benefit from your postings. Keep up the good work.

    6. Erika Dreifus says:

      I love hearing everyone’s good news! Hope people will keep on posting. Going to watch CD’s video now. (And thanks for the comforting words, Lisa!)

      1. My literary novel, which takes place in Israel, The Critic, the Assistant Critic, and Victoria
        will be available from Amazon in a few days.
        Larry Lefkowitz
        Modiin, Israel

    7. Received news today that 5 of my poems have been accepted by Poetry Nook Magazine ( for the issue coming out in late February). I’ve already made 14 submissions in the new year— including one to Poetry ( yes, the one founded in 1912!). I also plan to write some flash fiction this year.

    8. Sounds like a busy crew here!

      I’ve signed on to have a sales table at the Windy City Pulp & PB Show the last weekend in April. I’d been planning to get my second self-published book out the door -sometime- this year. Now it will debut at the show. Zounds! Got to do the cover, get the text re-proofed, do some PR, maybe see about a trailer, work up the table display. Will do one panel at the show plus, possibly, a reading &/or signing. What am I forgetting!?!

      Got a short story due about the end of the month. That’s one of six word processing files I’ve got open right now. I figure about 60,000 words to finish the lot.

      On the down side I replied to the wrong email address last week & let some information about a project out that I shouldn’t have. Major embarrassment. ;^{

      All in all, however, looks like a good year ahead. (Gets up to look for genuine wood to knock on.)

    9. Erika Dreifus says:

      Yes, a very busy crew! It’s wonderful!

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