How This Critter Crits
Viewing comments for Chapter 15 "The How of Rejection"GROWTH? ADULATION? HURRY -- CHOOSE!
53 total reviews
Comment from Ekim777
The Beat generation might indeed have been spawned from the romantic era but let us remember that the romantic era stretched back into the 19th century, everywhere. Our worthy writer overrides certain key points. What about those legendary figures who took their religiosity onto the road from coast to coast. Let us not forget that Beat did not spell Beat-up but Beatitude. Many such souls headed into the mountains or to the Mexican beaches to embrace Zen and more of the Jazz scene. I only met one Beat prince who saw the best minds of his generation destroyed by madness, one, Alan Ginsburg. -Ekim777
reply by the author on 19-Aug-2015
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The Beat generation might indeed have been spawned from the romantic era but let us remember that the romantic era stretched back into the 19th century, everywhere. Our worthy writer overrides certain key points. What about those legendary figures who took their religiosity onto the road from coast to coast. Let us not forget that Beat did not spell Beat-up but Beatitude. Many such souls headed into the mountains or to the Mexican beaches to embrace Zen and more of the Jazz scene. I only met one Beat prince who saw the best minds of his generation destroyed by madness, one, Alan Ginsburg. -Ekim777
Comment Written 19-Aug-2015
reply by the author on 19-Aug-2015
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Yes! Alan Ginsburg. I saw him, never met him, but saw him and his entourage crossing the intersection against the light in San Francisco because he could and the traffic waited patiently for him and his friends like he was just a naughty boy, or Jesus. There was that forgiving, playful reverence. Thanks for your take on the post, Ekim777.
Comment from Bill Schott
This piece here is well worth reissuing and allowing others to see the connections between what we experience and what we must assume experience instills in us. Tapping into uncomfortable memories, no matter how trivial they seem in retrospect, doesn't diminish their power to impress the pilgrim mind.
The connection of the Romantic era to the Beat Generation is nicely done. Dig We Must that period of angry and visceral poetry dealing with the conflicts of man versus (fill in the blank).
The inclusion of the well-known passage from Meditation 17 by Donne was a fitting end as it represents a moment of reaching out to individualists and reminding them that the firmament needs every clod of land to be whole and that everyone counts.
reply by the author on 19-Aug-2015
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This piece here is well worth reissuing and allowing others to see the connections between what we experience and what we must assume experience instills in us. Tapping into uncomfortable memories, no matter how trivial they seem in retrospect, doesn't diminish their power to impress the pilgrim mind.
The connection of the Romantic era to the Beat Generation is nicely done. Dig We Must that period of angry and visceral poetry dealing with the conflicts of man versus (fill in the blank).
The inclusion of the well-known passage from Meditation 17 by Donne was a fitting end as it represents a moment of reaching out to individualists and reminding them that the firmament needs every clod of land to be whole and that everyone counts.
Comment Written 19-Aug-2015
reply by the author on 19-Aug-2015
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The more uncomfortable the memories, when shared, the greater the need to romanticize them by the reader. Yes, the pilgrim mind. Well put. Thanks, Bill for the six stars. Don't know how you keep them to mid-week.
Comment from krprice
"I wanted. . . I said, "'Good luck up north.'" Suggested change.
A fine short. . . But has. . . LOL
Check over punctuation, particularly commas in series.
Ms should be in small letters with a period at the end as it is an abbreviation.
Excellent article.
Karlene
reply by the author on 19-Aug-2015
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"I wanted. . . I said, "'Good luck up north.'" Suggested change.
A fine short. . . But has. . . LOL
Check over punctuation, particularly commas in series.
Ms should be in small letters with a period at the end as it is an abbreviation.
Excellent article.
Karlene
Comment Written 19-Aug-2015
reply by the author on 19-Aug-2015
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I couldn't change the spelling of "North" since it was a quote from Saroyan. I believe that was the nickname for this fellow. Thanks for critting, Karlene.
Comment from justafan
Rejection...grrr. I have only one experience with this and it was very disappointing to be sure.
We always put our hearts into what we write. How dare they reject us...lol.
I love all your work, Jay. You will never get a rejection from me :)
Always,
Missy
reply by the author on 19-Aug-2015
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Rejection...grrr. I have only one experience with this and it was very disappointing to be sure.
We always put our hearts into what we write. How dare they reject us...lol.
I love all your work, Jay. You will never get a rejection from me :)
Always,
Missy
Comment Written 19-Aug-2015
reply by the author on 19-Aug-2015
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Awwwww, Missy. You are too kind. I got lots of rejection slips.
Comment from sweetwoodjax
this is an excellent write, jay, I enjoyed reading about your first place you lived and the room mate that made an impression on you. didn't see any errors.
reply by the author on 19-Aug-2015
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this is an excellent write, jay, I enjoyed reading about your first place you lived and the room mate that made an impression on you. didn't see any errors.
Comment Written 19-Aug-2015
reply by the author on 19-Aug-2015
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Ttank you sweetwoodjax. Glad you enjoyed this.
Comment from Nosha17
This was most interesting, Jay because I can relate to a lot of what you wrote. My son always told me that because people don't suffer as much ( they might complain they do nowadays, but they don't in relative terms)their writings or their music do not have that earthy, deprived feel about them-today's Black music shows no pain, whereas the Blues music of the earlier eras was the real thing in my eyes. Those typewriters were horrendous, even with Tippex. Very informative piece of writing and will make younger people realise, perhaps, that they never had it so good. Most enjoyable-one thing, I was always taught at school never to start a sentence with And. Faye
reply by the author on 19-Aug-2015
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This was most interesting, Jay because I can relate to a lot of what you wrote. My son always told me that because people don't suffer as much ( they might complain they do nowadays, but they don't in relative terms)their writings or their music do not have that earthy, deprived feel about them-today's Black music shows no pain, whereas the Blues music of the earlier eras was the real thing in my eyes. Those typewriters were horrendous, even with Tippex. Very informative piece of writing and will make younger people realise, perhaps, that they never had it so good. Most enjoyable-one thing, I was always taught at school never to start a sentence with And. Faye
Comment Written 19-Aug-2015
reply by the author on 19-Aug-2015
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Thanks, Faye. Glad you enjoyed this. The times they are a changin'. My English teacher would pirouette in her grave if she saw me using And and But to begin sentences. It is becoming more and more approved ... or at least accepted.
Comment from Annette Gulliver
This is an interesting look at a writer's perspective of rejection.
You had a safe, loving middle class upbringing, but felt your writing could not match the passion of your friend, who had experienced life on the other side of the tracks.
You were fortunate to be a part of the beat generation of the 50's and 60's, and especially the hippy era. They were wild old days, when youth first began to thumb their noses at conservatism and society in general.
Annette
reply by the author on 19-Aug-2015
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This is an interesting look at a writer's perspective of rejection.
You had a safe, loving middle class upbringing, but felt your writing could not match the passion of your friend, who had experienced life on the other side of the tracks.
You were fortunate to be a part of the beat generation of the 50's and 60's, and especially the hippy era. They were wild old days, when youth first began to thumb their noses at conservatism and society in general.
Annette
Comment Written 19-Aug-2015
reply by the author on 19-Aug-2015
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Thanks, Annette. A lot of nose-thumbing went on. That's for sure. Glad you enjoyed this chapter.
Comment from Eric1
Hi Jay, I read this wonderful blog with a great deal of interest having some years ago (thirty actually) tried very unsuccessfully to firstly, break into the children's market, and secondly, break into the comedy scriptwriting market.
Both are notoriously difficult to conquer.
Thank you for this brilliant write and an insight into this extraordinary man, and also your life my friend.
reply by the author on 19-Aug-2015
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Hi Jay, I read this wonderful blog with a great deal of interest having some years ago (thirty actually) tried very unsuccessfully to firstly, break into the children's market, and secondly, break into the comedy scriptwriting market.
Both are notoriously difficult to conquer.
Thank you for this brilliant write and an insight into this extraordinary man, and also your life my friend.
Comment Written 19-Aug-2015
reply by the author on 19-Aug-2015
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Glad you got so much out of this, Eric. Thanks for your input on your own experience. We're all in it together.
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It was a pleasure to review my friend.
Comment from sandragee
The walk down memory lane makes me realize just how much I prefer the 'now' of submitting manuscripts. On typewriters, it was always, always at the end of the manuscript that you make the error. No, I do not yearn for the days of white-out.
As for Joe and his angst and you and your middle-class background, well, people write what they know, and I am glad for it.
reply by the author on 19-Aug-2015
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The walk down memory lane makes me realize just how much I prefer the 'now' of submitting manuscripts. On typewriters, it was always, always at the end of the manuscript that you make the error. No, I do not yearn for the days of white-out.
As for Joe and his angst and you and your middle-class background, well, people write what they know, and I am glad for it.
Comment Written 19-Aug-2015
reply by the author on 19-Aug-2015
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Hey, Sandra. Glad you found the post enjoyable. A lot of my feelings of inferiority compared to Joe was part and parcel of the times. To experience life you had to suffer. I was a middle class writer who didn't suffer. Joe was from a poor background. He did suffer. Therefore he had more experience to pull from. That was the fallacy of the times.
Comment from Sis Cat
What a fascinating life you have lived. I enjoy the examples you shared and the stories your told. I particularly like your description and peripheral participation in the San Francisco Beat scene.
On the whole, I did not find this post to be as instructive as previous posts. The section on "THE HOW OF REJECTION" feels truncated and lacks useful information.
One of my FanStory poems was rejected yesterday by the oldest poetry magazine in America, Poetry. All I received was this email:
"Dear Andre Wilson,
Unfortunately, we won't be able to accept your submission. Thank you very much, though, for sending work our way.
Sincerely,
The Editors
POETRY"
My first thought was, "It is good I sent another poem out Saturday, so that I do not dwell on today's rejection." I next thought of submitting the rejected poem to another journal. I saw the U.S. Poet Laureate, Kay Ryan, speak once. She said Poetry rejected her poems dozens of times before they published one. When they did, Capper Canyon Press called her the next day offering to publish her book. So, persistence is a factor.
I think about all of those publishers who had turned down "Harry Potter." So, another factor is trying to find the right home, editor, or journal, for your work. If you give up after the first rejection, you may never know whether or not your piece would have been published on the third or thirteenth submission.
I take rejection like water on a duck's back. I keep moving forward. When I move forward I feel alive, engaged. Even if the rejection emails envelopes keep coming, I take solace in doing something that I love and in attempting to share it. In their lifetime, most writers will not be published, receive public acclaim, or get a hefty advance. We write because we must.
Only one spag. I suggest inserting a line space above "How much better was he equipped to be a poet?"
The best thing I enjoyed about this post is that it forced me to think and articulate how I handle rejection. That alone is worth my review. Thank you for sharing.
reply by the author on 19-Aug-2015
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What a fascinating life you have lived. I enjoy the examples you shared and the stories your told. I particularly like your description and peripheral participation in the San Francisco Beat scene.
On the whole, I did not find this post to be as instructive as previous posts. The section on "THE HOW OF REJECTION" feels truncated and lacks useful information.
One of my FanStory poems was rejected yesterday by the oldest poetry magazine in America, Poetry. All I received was this email:
"Dear Andre Wilson,
Unfortunately, we won't be able to accept your submission. Thank you very much, though, for sending work our way.
Sincerely,
The Editors
POETRY"
My first thought was, "It is good I sent another poem out Saturday, so that I do not dwell on today's rejection." I next thought of submitting the rejected poem to another journal. I saw the U.S. Poet Laureate, Kay Ryan, speak once. She said Poetry rejected her poems dozens of times before they published one. When they did, Capper Canyon Press called her the next day offering to publish her book. So, persistence is a factor.
I think about all of those publishers who had turned down "Harry Potter." So, another factor is trying to find the right home, editor, or journal, for your work. If you give up after the first rejection, you may never know whether or not your piece would have been published on the third or thirteenth submission.
I take rejection like water on a duck's back. I keep moving forward. When I move forward I feel alive, engaged. Even if the rejection emails envelopes keep coming, I take solace in doing something that I love and in attempting to share it. In their lifetime, most writers will not be published, receive public acclaim, or get a hefty advance. We write because we must.
Only one spag. I suggest inserting a line space above "How much better was he equipped to be a poet?"
The best thing I enjoyed about this post is that it forced me to think and articulate how I handle rejection. That alone is worth my review. Thank you for sharing.
Comment Written 19-Aug-2015
reply by the author on 19-Aug-2015
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Thank you for your lengthy comment, Andre. I really didn't intend this post to be instructive. It did bring out the writers who were around during the Beat Generation. It gave me a chance to show the difference between the recent past and the present as far as our desire to chip away at immortality through print.