Not being in the mood to write, or crit, I turned to the easiest choice: reading. I just read the most wonderful short story. "Dance of the Kawkaroons" by Mercurio D. Rivera in INTERZONE #227 March-April.

I don't feel in the mood to write a critique. I think my inner critic is out of control. I don't want to turn it loose on someone else's work, or my own.

Realized I miss this blog. "Writer's Playground" isn't complete without it.

Here's my list of projects:

1. "The Daily Grind" was rejected by APEX MAGAZINE. I am planning next to submit it to THE NEW YORKER.

2. I think I really overreacted when after "A Singular Being" was rejected by CLARKESWORLD MAGAZINE, I reread their guidelines & saw "alien observes humans" on their list of "stories we don't want to see." Of course, "visitor to alien world is told rules & ignores them and is punished" is on that list too, & that describes "Babysitting" by Christine Murphy to a tee, & that is one of my favorite stories ever. Anyway, I went nuts & did radical surgery on the ms, called the results "version 5b" & submitted it to Critters under the title "Was A Singular Being, Probably needs New Title" as Fantasy instead of SF. I realized reading the resulting critiques that my butchery didn't make much sense. I am now going back to version 4e & going from there, destination THE MAGAZINE OF FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION.

3. The memoir was rejected by agent Betsy Lerner & I didn't feel like that book length project was still on the agenda.

4. I submitted "Return to Darkness: My Sojourn in the Realm of the Cavedwellers" to MEMOIR (AND)

5. The novel i started in my 20's is now officially shelved.

6. I've been considering 2 ideas for NANOWRIMO, one sci-fi, one that other thing.

7. I also have another idea for a novel, not too developed yet.