In the last week or so, I've been revising short stories that had wandered back home and I have two of them back in the mail. Maybe they'll fare better this time. I decided to enter a couple of contests since Customs and Revenue Canada kindly forwarded my tax refund. Usually, I don't enter contests because the entry fees can be high, but a little cash on hand has modified my opinion for the time being. And besides - it doesn't take eight months, or a year, or two years, to hear the results. Maybe I'll even enter a third contest this spring, if I can finish revising another story before the deadine. Why not be a big spender, temporarily?
Speaking of spring, it seems to be lurking close by, tempting us and then disappearing. Yesterday the snow banks diminished and its still mild today. If this weather continues, I may have to buy rubber boots. I was looking at some bright yellow ones in Zellers, but they turned out to be children's boots. Why can't I have bright yellow rubber boots? It would be fun to stomp in puddles while wearing them. Snow is predicted for the weekend so I guess I'll keep my staid old black boots close by, for now, and my daughter has told me to ask the weather gods not to send spring too early, so I suppose I must do that.
Saturday, I got a ride to the Chapters bookstore and used my gift card to buy two books about writing. Since I didn't know how much money was on the gift card, I chose two paperbacks. After paying for them I found out I still have $40.00 left on the card. Wow! I can't wait to get back to the store and spend the rest of it. I purchased "The First Five Pages: A writer's guide to staying out of the rejection pile" by Noah Lukeman, and "The Sound on the Page" (great writers talk about style and voice in writing) by Ben Yagoda. I've dipped into both books and think it likely that "The Sound on the Page" is the one I'll enjoy more.
Now, it's time to herd another story into the revision corral.
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