September
was such a
busy month for my writing that I've not yet mentioned—not here on the
blog anyway—one publication that made me particularly proud. Those who write
and read creative nonfiction, and especially fans of short works, know the quality
of the essays and nonfiction narratives at Brevity, all presented in 750 words or less.
I'm so pleased that Brevity chose to publish
my work, "On the Near Side of the Tracks," in their Fall 2016 issue,
which had a special focus on race. What makes this slightly more gratifying is
that this story—though the actual experience lasted less than 10
minutes—was one I sat on for years, not knowing precisely how or when or where to tell
it.
When
I came across the Brevity themed call
for submissions in the spring, something slid into place in my head—and
eventually, onto the page. I believe that's true for some stories: we wait and
ponder and think, and wait some more, often not sure if it's ever going to live
on the page. Then, something clicks and we "suddenly" know how to
write about it, where to send it, and that it's time to tell it.
I'd
love it if you took a
few minutes (really, that's all it takes to read 750 words!) to read it. While
there, perhaps take a bit more time to read some of the other stellar work in the
special Brevity issue, which includes work by Deesha Philyaw, Roxane Gay, Tyrese Coleman,
and several others, all with unique perspectives.
I'd
been chasing a Brevity byline for a
while, undaunted by a half-dozen rejections before this wonderful acceptance. That's
not unusual, that's the writing life. Whatever you're chasing, I hope it shows
up in your writing life.
UPDATE (10/19/16): Over at the Brevity blog, you can now read about the steps I took to nail this long sought after acceptance.
1 comment:
I read your story. It's powerful. I admire that you went back and owned your error. That took a lot of courage.
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