I probably should have been in bed about an hour ago.
I’d have read (currently Marlon James’ A Brief History of Seven Killings), lulling myself ever closer to a well-deserved slumber.
But of course I didn’t do that. Would’ve been too damn responsible. Instead I sapped on scotch and tried to figure out how to submit a story to The New Yorker.
After a great deal of googling, I figured I had my cover letter addressed to the right person and hit send.
It’s a bit nerve-wracking to submit to such a heavyweight, but I determined that I needed to get it done. Chances are, they’ll pass on the story. I’m not being pessimistic here. Those are just the odds with a lit magazine that probably sees hundreds, if not thousands of submissions.
I’m damn proud of the story I submitted. It’s about my folks. But not my folks now. My folks in the ’70’s. My mom shared a memory with me and I crafted it into a short story. It begins with the Willie and Waylon tune, “I Can Get Off on You,” and goes or descends from there. It’s definitely a sad story, but it has its humorous moments as well.
Comedy=Tragedy + Time, right? I think that’s what’s going on here. It’s hard writing about family, though, even with stories over 40 years old. I don’t want to hurt feelings, but the matter from our lives and the lives of those around us make for good stories.
I’m supposed to hear back from the magazine within 90 days if I’m accepted. If I’m not accepted, I won’t hear anything. I’m going to submit this story to a couple different places as well. I know that I’m not that deep into the writing game, yet, but this story has some steam. I think it could go somewhere. I suppose we all think our stories can go somewhere.
On an unrelated note, I bought a pop-up camper yesterday, and I’m looking forward to many camping trips in the future. Audrey and I want to take Erp and Alp all over the country. ‘Twill be grand. Lots to see. Lots to experience. Lots of stories to write.
Huzzah!
PS-The 49ers sucked today and that’s rough. But the Packers are up right now against the Seahawks, and that’s incredibly good.
Ryan L. Purdy 