04.15.07
I hereby request the universe lay off
Book came out. Huge accomplishment, product of years of work.
Great reviews, including the New York Times, where it got a bad/baffling review.
Ran up ~2k in car bills in four days as my beloved Volvo went through a bad patch.
Horribly sick for weeks, including an ER trip.
And now, accepted to Clarion West. Which is awesome - “Yay, we think you’re super-great, we have picked you out of all the great applicants to come hang out with assorted cool folks for six weeks and graduate an elite science fiction writer.”
But I can’t go. I feel like the world’s taking free kicks at me.
Clarion runs six weeks, mid-June through July. I want to go, because it’s super-awesome, but I essentially can’t go: I have no money. I was about to take a job, but now, if I go, I almost certainly can’t take a job, work for two months, and then be gone for six weeks.
If Clarion started next week, I’d tough it out. But it doesn’t — it’s months out. With no money, I can’t survive for months. But I can’t get a job and work for months and then go. And so on. I’m screwed. I figured I wouldn’t get in - the odds are so long, it’s so competitive - and now, I don’t even know what to do.
Thanks, universe! Hee hee hee hee.
Scraps said,
April 16, 2007 at 8:11 am
Crap! Can you freelance? Or temp?
On the other hand, I’ll bet you’d get in to Clarion again. Yes, it’s competitive, but I’ve read your writing, and I’ve read submissions for a living — including plenty of submissions from Clarion writers, before and after — and trust me, you’re way ahead of the pack. I didn’t know you were applying, but knowing that I would have assumed you’d be accepted. Take that for what it’s worth
StanNP said,
April 16, 2007 at 12:46 pm
Derek,
Look at it the other way, Clarion West is a feature! Make the workshop a pre-employment negotiated understanding and then attended it.
Afterwards your employer can make comments like “Wow Derek, that business case was riveting! I can’t wait to read your use case scenarios!”
StanNP
MHD said,
April 18, 2007 at 7:18 am
How much do you need?
I bet between USSM and your other blogs, you could probably get a loan to tide you over for a few months. If people are even more generous, you might even get gifts. People are that appreciative of your writing.