Weymouth Center: Phase Two

I suppose it’s only fair to say that, for a brief moment after printing my fiction manuscript, I looked around the room and thought to myself: Now what?

The silence lasted a millisecond and was immediately flooded by a slough of editing and application obligations I have been ignoring for weeks (months?).

At present, I have nine submissions to read and make decisions about, two galleys to proof, one author acceptance letter to write, two advertising documents to copyedit, two letters of recommendation to solicit, one cover letter to write, one essay on my educational philosophy to compose, one power point presentation to prepare, and one public lecture and reading (Lost Crossings) to deliver. That’s all the print journal, book, and fellowship-related work. In addition, I’m likely to spend the better part of a week on Cheek Teeth, TRACHODON’s blog—which we’re gearing up for a total overhaul.

[My submissions log notebook, aka “my brain,” where I keep track of what I’ve sent to whom, when I hope to hear back, what payment is, and whether or not simultaneous submissions are allowed. A highlighted line indicates an acceptance.]

Times like this afford me with opportunities for career development and distance from my own creative process. This work would make me nutty if I didn’t have my own stories waiting for my attention, but I do—and there will be time in Wyoming next month to dive back into them. All the while the clock is ticking as I wait to hear back from…deep breath:

Headlands Artist Residency Program; Southern Review; South Dakota Review; Smokelong Quarterly; Black Warrior Review; The Normal School; War, Literature, & the Arts; Kansas City Voices; Wake Magazine; The Ragdale Foundation; NPR Three-Minute Fiction Contest; Solstice Quarterly; Electric Literature; Fish One-Page Prize 2011; Southeast Review, Millay Colony for the Arts, Nano Fiction, and The Publisher (as I’ll refer to the splendid organization that now has my fiction manuscript in its hands).

Fingers crossed and forging ahead!