Very few of the stories I’ve had published have undergone no substantial rewrite, “substantial” being a subjective term that, whatever it may mean, almost certainly means more than giving a story a “polish” (whatever that may mean). “Rag Doll” was first drafted about fifteen years before I finally got it into a shape a publisher would accept. Mad Hatters’ Review published it earlier this year, along with three other of my stories.
(And on the subject of first drafts, early this afternoon I finished the first draft of the project I’ve been working on for the past four months.)
2 responses so far ↓
1 Averil Dean // Aug 21, 2011 at 8:32 am
This one breaks my heart. The loneliness, the democracy of his threadbare clothing, the nibbles of himself, because there is no one for him to bite. How awful, this dimming-down time of life when all one’s shirts are thin and folded on the pantry shelf.
Fist bump for the first draft, Tetman.
2 Tetman Callis // Aug 21, 2011 at 8:49 am
Thank you, Averil. If I weren’t so hungover from the celebration, I might say more.
Leave a Comment