The results are in...
That other thread was too long to follow, so started another.
I'm far from the first to report it, but I, too, have been rejected. [waves hands to hush the shocked crowd] I may apply again next year, or life will prohibit it. As Niele said, it wasn't to be.
Good luck to those who did make the cut. And those that didn't.
Comments
Submitted by Frank_Ard on March 18, 2010 - 5:15pm.
Hey Scott, I'm so sorry to hear. :( Here's hoping you'll apply next year. Keep writing!
Submitted by Stephanie on March 18, 2010 - 5:53pm.
I'm bummed to read your news. You have such a great presence/personality on the boards. Whatever Clarion West class you join will be lucky to have such a cool dude. I hope you'll apply again, and I'll be crossing my fingers for you!
Submitted by grewvie on March 18, 2010 - 6:42pm.
Scott/Oso,
That's a bummer, but you had a strong story that's taken you places, so you'll do great with writing, anyway. Sorry to hear, and best wishes.
Lauren
Submitted by Sandra M. Odell on March 18, 2010 - 7:59pm.
Don't you dare talk yourself out of applying next year, life or no! You have talent, drive, and every reason to continue writing and push the envelope of your talent and craft.
Be safe, love your wife and little girl, and start on the next story.
Sandra
Submitted by Corinne on March 19, 2010 - 2:38am.
I'm really sorry to hear that. I was so hoping that yesterday's silence meant you'd gotten the phone call and you didn't want to give yourself away yet.
I hope you'll reapply next year. It'll be nice to see some familiar faces again then!
Submitted by Sara on March 19, 2010 - 2:56am.
http://saraveal.com
Sorry to hear that too, Oso.
I also got rejected, and, as with the other Clarion, I just got the standard form rejection. It even said "Sara Veal" at the beginning instead of Sara!! I feel a little silly because in my essay I said I had only just learned what "speculative fiction" meant and in the time since handing it my apps, I've realized that perhaps what I write doesn't deeply qualify for that. Not that if it did it would have had a better shot, but yea, basically I didn't seem to understand what the term encompassed. Hrmm... so I still want to work on getting better on the sort of things I want to write about... but I'm not sure if I'd ever suit Clarion, although I wish it did!
Good luck to everyone with all their writing projects - it was lovely meeting you all in snippets on here - and good luck to everyone that did get in this time around!
Submitted by Corinne on March 19, 2010 - 3:21am.
Sara,
My rejection used my full name too. I don't think it means anything :)
Isn't 'speculative fiction' just the catch-all phrase for anything sci-fi or supernatural? From what I hear the workshops tend to lean towards the sci-fi side of things, but they're technically open to just about anything fantasy/horror/magical realism/slipstream/etc. I'm sure whatever you write is just fine, and I do hope you'll end up reapplying next year.
Submitted by Sara on March 19, 2010 - 7:06am.
You are very sweet Corinne!
Yes, that is what I understood it to mean. But as I've been reading a lot of people associated with Clarion's stories - another boon to this whole endeavour - it's just seemed to me that the stories I have written so far don't really quite fit in, even though these writings (by Clarionites) have been wonderfully diverse. For example, my main project at the moment is a fairytale with no magic - with no fantasy. Which probably sounds a little moronic. But I would like to continue experimenting, and the brilliant thing with "speculative fiction" is that it allows you to do that. Perhaps by next year I'll come a little closer to the mark.
All my favorite writers seem to be in the "speculative fiction" genre, which is why I have so much admiration for what I understand it to be. Even just a touch of magic can so effectively highlight profounds truths about being human.
I hope you will reapply too. SLightly unrelated, but I always feel you shouldn't keep the warm things you think about people to yourself - I've looked at your website and I very much liked your charcoal portraits of animals, especially the one I saw of the horse.
http://saraveal.com
Submitted by Sandra M. Odell on March 19, 2010 - 1:54pm.
Don't stop writing, and never think that what you're writing doesn't fit the speculative fiction mold. Speculative fiction encompasses sf, fantasy, slipstream, horror, and just about anything else you can think of. Stories don't need magic, or obvious fantastic elements. Check out some of the magic realists such as Borges for a taste of wonderful speculative fiction.
Never give up!
Sandra
Submitted by Tracie on March 19, 2010 - 8:41am.
I'm sorry to hear it, Scott. I thought you were a shoo-in (is that how you spell it?), especially with the WOTF under your belt.