Shakespeare and Me

       Every year, since I read Donna chronicling her "wins and losses" when it comes to publishing, I've bought a cheap planner and kept track of my submissions. The first year or two, I even did the same--in January, for each submission, I noted whether it had been rejected, accepted, or whether the jury was still out.

      Now, I just use the planner to not always note when I've submitted something, so I don't look l like an idiot and resubmit it to the same publisher.

      This year I decided to go with a humorous planner. 

      Every week, there is a humorous version of a movie script, a book, a play or a TV show--a version that cries out for revision.

       Here is one example:

Macbeth

All:  Double, double, toil and trouble
          fire burn and cauldron bubble

Second Witch:  Fillet a fenny snake
                                  In the cauldron boil and bake
                                  Eye of newt and a touch
                                  of cinnamon
                                  A pinch of sugar, now stir
                                  it quick again.


       It reminds me of my Tuesday night writing group--the one that meets in a bar/restaurant. I had brought a piece about various critique groups I have belonged to over the years, and in it I noted that because of the WWWPs (my current "main" writing group) I had gotten some things published in anthologies and was 79,000 into a manuscript.

       One of the women looked with admiration at me. "That many words! That's really good." Then she saw the dubious expression on my face and said, "Isn't it?"

       I replied, "Yeah, unless the 79,000 words are sh*tty... and then it's just a big pile of poop... or a doorstop."

       Because it's better to proclaim something publicly so my friends can call me out and embarrass me when I fall flat on my face encourage me, I am going to set a goal:  by the end of February 2016 I will have finished this version of my manuscript. I think hope it's a doable goal. After that, I hope to have some time to look at it as a whole piece, and see what still needs to be done to it.

      I also hope it's not an even bigger pile of poop by then...

      Do you have a pile of poop that you're hiding away? Tell us about it. This ain't no scratch and sniff blog, so you have nothing to fear...

       And here's my attempt at a poem that's 60 words (or less) for Mama Zen's challenge. (It's 53 words long, not including the title.)

  

Circus Girl Smokes While Rehearsing Her Stunts; Nina Leen, 1949

I Know... Do You?

Shaddup and don't even bother.
I know already.
These cancer sticks'll kill me.

But hey!
Dangling above these
popcorn-eating chumps
hangin' by just some cheap rope...
well, that ain't safe, 
neither.

But hey!
Don't my rear end
look good
upside-down like this?

Or didn't you think 
I knew
that you 
noticed?