UNO: Study Abroad in Writing

Yes Ladies and Gentleman, its that time. Two truths and a lie time.

1. I am an acrobat who once made it to Olympic trials.
2. I didn’t submit any work anywhere for over a year after I graduated.
3. I am, in my spare time, a writer of soap operas.

Ok. So that should have been easy. I have no spare time, and have never set foot nor flip near the Olympics. Its number two thats true. Thats not to say I didn’t write anything new after I graduated, just that I stopped sharing it with people, for a variety of reasons. But what I really want to talk to you all about is the pact I made with several friends and writers here in New Orleans over the Christmas holiday. We made a pact to submit to at least twenty different places by the end of Christmas Break. We set a date for a dinner far enough in the future that we could expect to have most of our responses back (which, ladies and gentleman, requires about four months). Anyone who gets anything picked up brings a bottle of something bubbly and good to the dinner. Our goal of course is to have a lot of bubbles. We also threw in a provision that we’ll chip in for a bottle of something fun for the person who gets the most hand written rejections. And a punishment – anyone not meeting their goal of 20 submissions has to pick up the tab for the dinner. For about five people. So this works for us – it mainly gets us submitting – which is a chore at best. What appeals to me most, though, is that it makes the whole process a social affair. It makes it fun and you get more rewards than those rejection letters would normally bring all by themselves . There are a number of different ways to structure it, and you have complete freedom as to what you do. But I am going to dare you, San Miguelers and Brunnenburgers – submit to twenty places in any genre by the start date of your program. Celebrations and consolations to ensue during the program. Who’s in?

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