Turkey Day

November 20, 2006

I couldn't figure out why the supermarket was so crowded today, and then it dawned on me, Thanksgiving. I've been so focused on writing that the holiday almost snuck up on me.

Maybe it's the weather. We've had lots of sixty-degree plus days the past several weeks. Even today, it's warmish.

I've had four invites for Thanksgiving, which is great since I don't have family nearby, or a girlfriend at the moment. Last Thanksgiving was a debacle for lots of reasons that aren't worth going into. Suffice it to say, this year I want to spend time with real friends.

It's been a tough few months. I've had my new novel circulating and nobody took it. I got lots of encouraging rejection, but few specifics on what to do. One agent said she liked it a lot, but was still passing. She was unsure why. Perhaps the beginning was too slow. Another said there was too much exposition. Another said there wasn't enough.

I hadn't read it since early September, so a few weeks back I took a long hard look at the manuscript. It was coming in at 465 double-spaced pages. I decided to get rid of the back-story, speed up the early pages, and delete the opening scene. I worked around the clock for the last ten days. I cut over eighty pages. I tweaked certain scenes and cleaned up sentences. I clarified and embellished where necessary. I had a good friend review the first hundred pages in detail. The result is a much leaner, meaner manuscript.

I've already got an agent lined up to read it. This week the new improved My Year as a Clown hits the pavement.

This week I also started studying for the GRE. I haven't done math without a calculator since 1985. When I broke out the study guide, I grew despondent. It was horrifying. I couldn't remember anything. It made me question why I'm bothering with graduate school.

Time spent studying could be used instead to write, but an MFA could also help my writing. If I score one of these fellowships where they pay me to go to school, I can't lose because I'd get lots of time to write. And a shot at working with Barry Hannah is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity. Although Barry is supporting my application, he can't guarantee me a slot, so I'm also applying to Iowa and University of Texas at Austin -- they are both excellent schools too and I'd would be a privilege to attend any of the three.

So my pencils are sharpened and I'm dusting off the cobwebs in that part of my brain that once knew how to do geometry, algebra, and fractions.

Damn, it's dusty in here…