Minesweeper

I took a few years off from writing short stories so I could work on novel projects, and as I ease back into the online fiction scene I am thrilled by the new flavor of feedback I’m getting: I read your story instead of doing work.

4 or 5 years ago response to my fiction was a little more serious, a little more practiced, a little more practical. More about what I’d accomplished than what the reader experienced. Even my rejections are more gut level: an editor recently wrote that my submission “just didn’t do it for me. I don’t know why.”

I’m working on a theory, and it doesn’t have much to do with me.

what scott has linked

is probably not as dramatic as what god hath wrought, but by and large I'm happier with the results. Scott Garson's blog, Patterns of Silver Light and So Forth features links to several of his most recent pieces published in some really great forums. Finding these stories is great for me because 1) Scott's an old pal, 2) I'm competitive, and 5) his embrace and mastery of the very short form is pretty much breathtaking. So here I have pledged to "blurb" the work. The first three:

Reengineering, at Barrelhouse
In which Edwin J. Tier is completely full of it, but he’s right. Better than right. I want to work for this company, is that wrong? Featured -fu: Lavender bath towels.

Acknowledgements,at elimae
a garson classic with imbedded, muted anger

Captions, elimae
most worried for: Annabelle
if you like daddy, mountains and gold, this one's for you

More soon, but an added note: I don't recall SG writing or even tolerating so much brief mystery. The humor is forever, though.