A Breath of Fresh Air

[katiefoolery]

I stepped outside this morning for a breath of fresh air. It wasn't my choice - I had to go to the supermarket to buy the makings of my lunch - but I ended up quite grateful for the experience. Who would have thought that simply walking across a near-deserted carpark at quarter to eight in the morning could have put me in such a positive frame of mind? There's just something about mornings: the freshness, the sense of promise, not to mention the general lack of people, crowds and the annoyance of work. The sun is rising, the air is clear and you could almost be the only person around for miles.

Even though I was enjoying the experience, I still wished I was walking across a paddock or down the street of a country town, rather than the carpark outside Safeway. How much more pleasant and inspiring would it have been to be surrounded by bush and grassland and the sound of birds, as opposed to asphalt and the sound of traffic passing by? You could almost say it was inspirational.

It's lucky I happened to be feeling so inspired, because my poor old nunnery story was rejected overnight. I'm amazed that it was so quick - amazed and grateful. It wasn't too bad a rejection. According to the two people who read it, the story had promise but it wasn't quite there. It might have been a short rejection, but it still managed to convey a wealth of constructive criticism and guidelines for future revisions. Thanks to my five minutes' exposure to the morning air, I'm full of ideas and enthusiasm about the story where I would normally have been moping around. I want to make it a little longer, to work on the ending (which was quite rightly judged to be too abrupt) and to choose one of the plots and stick with it, rather than overloading it with choice the way I have at present.

Who would have thought that one sentence in a rejection email could have inspired so many ideas for improvement?

Since it causes such a positive attitude towards failure, I'm thinking of taking up a habit of stepping outside every morning, even if it's just to poke my head outside and enjoy the fresh morning air. I fear a walk at this stage would be too much like effort.

Comments

[talmina.livejournal.com]

Have you got an outdoor entertainment area? Use it to have a morning cuppa out there!

[sarsalot.livejournal.com]

Furthering that - take a laptop or pad of paper and a cuppa, and sit outside and write. You might end up being very productive.

[talmina.livejournal.com]

well that too!!!

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Thank-you muchly, good Sars. That's a very good suggestion.

*makes note of it*

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

I was sort of thinking of doing something like that. We have a nice paved area out the back and for some reason, we have a table there, but no chairs. Also, the back garden needs somebody who doesn't kill plants just by looking at them to come in and clean it up a bit. But it could work. It's just the weather for sitting outside with a cuppa.

[flippyfrog.livejournal.com]

Best thing for people who kill plants, go native. Australian plants survive best when they're left alone. So get yourself some grevilleas and banksia! they're pretty, they need minimal water and minimal attention. *hugs native trees*

back to the post, there is something about mornings. I love them too, but i only sleep in the mornings, so i keep missing them. When i'm on camps i really love them. I'm always awake before dawn and so am able to watch the sunrise. I think it's one of the most spectacular events ever, much better than sunsets. Sitting out on a farm, my feet up before the fire and watching the sun rise over the hills... The air smells just right and the birds always sound beautiful. Even though i might not have had much sleep that night, i need those mornings, they help me through the day and recover from sleeping on a stretcher or on the ground.
So yes, totally agree!

and bugger about the story, but at least you're not trying to lock yourself in a cupboard over it

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

I'd love it if we had some native plants in the garden. Unfortunately, it seems the people who owned it before it became a rental property were only interested in European plants (reasonable enough, considering they were Italian). So we have all these rather boring looking European trees and I'm amazed more of them haven't died. Actually, very few have. This is a small miracle.

It's OK about the story - only one rejection from one submission. If there's anything I've learnt in the past year (vicariously, of course), it's that you don't give up until you've submitted your story to a dozen different places and been rejected. I take comfort in the fact that the rejections keep saying my stories have promise... just not at that particular market. And I really do want to do a LOT more work on the story, now that I know it has the afore-mentioned promise. :)

The thing with mornings is that they're much more solitary than nights. Even late at night, there are still people around. In the morning, you feel as though you have the world to yourself. 'Tis plendiferous indeed. :)

[elfie-chan.livejournal.com]

I like that idea of stepping out for a bit of airborne inspiration. I also like that rejection letters can be helpful! *snugs you* And you haven't failed; you've just learned that the nunnery story has potential to go somewhere!

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Indeed! That's quite right. I'd feel much worse about it if the rejection had just said it didn't suit. Instead, it mentioned no fewer than two editors who thought it had promise, which has to be better than just one. :)

[elfie-chan.livejournal.com]

Two eds are better than one? *ducks*

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Oh, you should be ashamed of that one, good Elfie. :D

[elfie-chan.livejournal.com]

I am, believe me, I am. *hides face in shame*

[naelany.livejournal.com]

*chuckles*

[silverwerecat.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry about your rejection. However, as you said, it gave you inspiration, so it's not entirely a bad thing. *hugs*

I've promised myself that I'll gather at least 50 rejection letters this year. Meaning that I should actually send something out, whenever I grow a spine...

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Oh yes! You should definitely start submitting stuff. Send stuff off to online magazines - it costs nothing and you'll either soon be published or you'll receive helpful feedback from people in the industry.

I hadn't thought of setting myself a target. I'll race you to fifty rejections. :)

[silverwerecat.livejournal.com]

Send stuff off to online magazines

Have you tried "Deep Magic"?

I'll race you to fifty rejections.

I'm up for it, but after Feb 22d. I'll be in hospital Monday through Wednesday and I still need to edit a couple of pieces.

[naelany.livejournal.com]

Mornings can have that effect. I agree with...oh I forget the name, but somewhere above here... sunrises are wonderful. I love sunsets as well, but a sunrise has a more magical quality to it, I think. It holds promise, for one.

I'm glad the rejection spurred inspiration (is that the right way of putting that?). Good luck with the story ^_^

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

I think you're right there - sunrises are inspiring. The day hasn't yet started and it seems full of promise and the possiblity of everything going right for once.

Thanks for your good wishes on the story. I hope I can really make something of it. :)

[naelany.livejournal.com]

I'm sure you will ^_^. You can always go out and try to capture some of that magic when you feel the need to be inspired ^_~

[paulini.livejournal.com]

That God for beautiful, sunlit mornings. You have quite an imagination like myself. Perhaps it comes with having the talent to write! :)

That is too bad they didn't take your story. I'm so glad your not that upset and moping around, instead looking for ways to improve. Its GREAT!

If at first you don't succeed try try again! :)

*hugs* Elizabeth

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Exactly! There are so many different magazines and editors out there and one of them is bound to like my story (indeed, stories) eventually. Thank-you muchly for your good wishes. :)

[malenky-devil.livejournal.com]

For you ^_^:



VALENTINE'D!!

[(Anonymous)]

Sorry about this, Katie. But I'm glad you pulled some inspiration out of it. Some of my rejections hit hard and some just made me all the more determined. You have to work them to your advantage. =D

~Kelly Parra
writerwords.blogspot.com