Two Rejects
Currently reading:
Fruit Fly by Josh Silver
Out There Screaming, edited by Jordan Peele
An American Sunrise by Joy Harjo
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid [audiobook]
Books finished this week: 1
★★☆☆☆
Where this book came from: Purchased at the Park Slope Barnes and Noble last fall with Britt (hi, Britt!).
Why this book: We have a semi-regular book club at work, and we started doing themes for a few months, so everyone would read something different and explain what worked and what didn’t. But after all reading Yesteryear and having a great discussion about it, we decided to pick another book that we could all read together, and The Mad Wifewas it.
Thoughts: I don’t know why this cover plus the back cover copy made me think this was going to be a psychological suspense novel or some kind of thriller, but it definitely did! I also accidentally-but-not spoiled some pretty major plot points by scrolling through clearly-marked spoiler-filled Goodreads reviews; whoops. In my defense, I just wanted to know where it was all heading!! I liked the writing, but the story was just so slow and frustrating. I know that’s probably the point, and I think it succeeded in making me feel like a stifled ’50s housewife, but I don’t think I learned anything new from this book that hasn’t already been explored in other media. Read this for the prose, not so much for the plot.
Library updates:
I posted a little standalone review for you guys on Monday; you’re welcome/I’m sorry.
Initially, I thought this missive would just be me ranting about that book I really, really hated without even finishing it, but then I realized I didn’t want to subject you all to that on your Sunday. So I’m back with another kind of tough topic instead: rejection.
I got two writing rejections this week, and just as two wrongs don’t make a right, two declines don’t make an acceptance. So I’m left with two stories, in search of a home.
I’m making light of it now as I reflect on it, but getting those emails——just one day apart, no less——really shook me. For the first time in, genuinely, I think my entire life, I let myself think, What’s the fucking point? The point of putting in all these hours ideating and writing and editing. The point of researching these contests and magazines. The point of letting my imagination run wild with almost nothing to show for it.
Thankfully, it didn’t take too much wallowing and journaling time to realize that the point is that I created two new stories in the last couple of weeks, one each for two new-to-me contests hosted by new-to-me literary magazines. They said no this time, but maybe something else I write will be a better fit down the line. And I now have two ideas I can revise and try elsewhere, or let inspire something else. The point is the writing, and if I ever forget that or give up on it, then I’ll really be done. So I guess I just can’t forget.
In terms of reading, I’m loving the Daisy Jones and the Six audiobook. Full review to come when I finish it, but so far, I highly recommend it! (Benjamin Bratt, in particular, sounds good.)
Closing thoughts:
Don’t forget what matters.
Total books read from the Moratorium Library: 219
(Total books added to the Moratorium Library: 462)
No trip to Park Slope is complete without a stop at the B&N.
