agilebrit: (facepalm)
agilebrit ([personal profile] agilebrit) wrote2010-08-29 04:32 pm

Snippet...uh...SUNDAY.

Yeah. Have some Cowboy!Sleeping Beauty.

I fired again, more steady this time, and a splash of crimson exploded from his chest. The fire guttered out, and he slumped in his saddle, his lips moving. I couldn't quite hear what he said, but he fell to the ground in a boneless heap, and his compadres left on the run. Jock tail-wagged back to me, well-pleased with his day's work.

I jumped out of my saddle and trotted over to the rustler. Bright blood stained his lips, and his expression was unbelieving. "You..." he rasped. He was dying. Can't say I was either surprised or upset.

"Told you. We don't take kindly to rustlers in these parts."

"Sleep...forever. And may all your dreams...be terrifying." He exhaled one last time, and I thought something insubstantial and shrieking rose from his body and flew away.

"Well, what the hell," I muttered.

"Sam! Sam!" A tiny winged form hovered in front of my nose. Daneen. "We have to get you home. Right now!"

"Why? What's the matter?"

"That was a death curse! You must get home before the sun goes down. I might be able to--" She stopped and gulped. "But not out here. I'm a house fairy--my powers outdoors are weak."

"A death...what?" Events were catching up with me, and the shakes suddenly gripped me like an ague. The rustler had shot fire at me with his bare hands. Daneen was one thing; I was used to her. This was quite different.


The good news is that it's entirely possible that my Writing Buddy gave me something to hang my hat on last night. The bad news is that I'm not sure I can do the idea justice. I guess we'll see. I cracked a thousand words on it yesterday.

And, with abject apologies to John Denver:

Rejections...in my email...make me eat worms
Rejections...in my inbox...make me sigh
Rejections...almost always...look so ugly
Rejections...almost always...make me cry.

I know, I know. Cry moar, grow a thicker skin, yadda yadda. Is okay. Really. I flipped it to a (new) place that pays more. We shall see.
ext_9031: (Art - Wildwood)

[identity profile] ithildyn.livejournal.com 2010-08-29 10:39 pm (UTC)(link)
I really liked that! [applauds]
ext_18328: (Default)

[identity profile] jazzypom.livejournal.com 2010-08-30 05:21 am (UTC)(link)
Interesting. It grabbed my attention like woah.

[identity profile] milkshake-b.livejournal.com 2010-08-30 09:49 am (UTC)(link)
Honestly, the myth that 'real' professional writers aren't bothered at all by rejections is just that: a myth. One of the more professional ones I know has a habit of taking a copy of a story and shredding it after the second or third rejection while cursing as loudly as possible. The real dividing line is whether you continue to work with it (or work with the next thing, if it's gotten to that point), or if you drop it entirely at the first rejection and/or sulk and bitch and moan about the unfairness of it all in public, insulting the editor or publication as the whim takes you and crying tears of bitterness over how no one understands the perfection of your artistry. (I repeat: in public. Crying in private or with good friends and then moving on is normal; I don't say 'getting over it' because from some rejections you don't.)

[identity profile] texanfan.livejournal.com 2010-08-30 04:45 pm (UTC)(link)
Sounds intriguing.

Rejections hurt, it's the fact that you keep going in the face of them that you need to concentrate on. I know so many people who just fold and give up.

[identity profile] katemagna.livejournal.com 2010-08-30 04:53 pm (UTC)(link)
My understanding is that the writing market is awful right now. :(