I hadn't thought anything would come of sending a letter to Dr. Zivago since I've written a hundred like it. I'd already exhausted the rest of the Mountain of University (Mt. University) faculty with no luck. Yet today, the man wrote me back saying he'd like to talk in person. I won't jump to the conclusion that he has both the money and a position for a new research assistant. However, I think that he can at least give some help or information to me. Perhaps he knows of a colleague somewhere that needs someone.

On top of that bit of good news, most of the critiques I've gotten back on my story have been positive. I agree with them that my sentences are unnecessarily complicated. I just can't write "with more simplicity" without it sounding fake. One Native American novelist commented that I must be an Iroquoi Indian with the grammar I use (i.e. I'm beyond anal, I'm colon). I hadn't actually realized it also, but using adverbs is considered a faus pax in fiction, that you should show rather than tell things to your reader. I think it's a waste of space, but who am I to judge trends.

I feel better than I did a few days ago, but I still need to keep searching for new job prospects.

previous - next