Yet Another

It's happening more and more regularly. When I started judging this contest I reveled in the fact that Toe the Line was better than most of the stories I read. Now, following the Vegas Story, the time travel and space elevator story, and now a new one about an abusive husband, I'm not so sure. These stories are so good they make me wonder what I'm doing trying to be published.

Thankfully I expected this to some degree. I expected that my story wouldn't be the best and steeled myself against the disappointment. Nevertheless its interesting to feel that worm beginning to crawl in my belly. What I find particularly amazing is that the ones that are exceptional are the ones I would never ordinarily read. The sci-fi stories I would have dismissed quickly if I saw them on the rack, and the abusive husband book is about a woman finding herself in purgatory and a grand war between satan and heaven. Again, no thanks. But after reading the first ten pages I would have gladly read more. I hope Toe the Line is like that.

I read in article in Writers Digest yesterday about an author who only became and author after he worked for years as a reader at an agency. He was amazed by how bad so many of the manuscripts were.

I've read 30 (?) novel starts, and there are 3 maybe 4 that are any good. That's what? 12%. If I am in that top 12% I'd be happy. I've sent 136 queries and had three yes replies? Two are still out. We'll see.