Month: May 2008

If you don’t know how this random Friday thing works…

…you’re not paying attention:

  1. “Starman” by David Bowie, guessed by Kim
    Let all the children boogie
  2. “Right Hand Man” by Joan Osborne
    Use me up if you think you can
  3. “Headache” by Liz Phair
    And I said, “Hey mister, won’t you come for me?”
  4. “Shine a Little Love” by Electric Light Orchestra
    We’ll do it all again until the break of light
  5. “LDN” by Lily Allen, guessed by Eric B.
    Then I see it’s a pimp and his crack whore
  6. “Mr. Jones” by Counting Crows, guessed by Kim
    She dances while his father plays guitar
  7. “Solsbury Hill” by Peter Gabriel, guessed by Eric B.
    My friends would think I was a nut
  8. “Human Behavior” by the Decemberists (orig. Bjork)
    Be ready to get confused
  9. “White Wedding” by Whip (orig. Billy Idol), guessed by Kim
    Look for something left in this world
  10. “They Might Be Giants” by They Might Be Giants, guessed by Betty
    Just to keep from being thrown to the wolves

You could always take a look at last week’s answers, if you need a refresher course. As always, good luck!

Geek overload

Right now it’s just a rumor, and even if it’s true it might not happen, and even if it happens, it might not be any good, but I’ll admit to a little fanboy moment of glee when I read that Neil Gaiman may have been asked to write an episode of Doctor Who.

It’s a little like I felt when Jesse Thorn of the Sound of Young America interviewed Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich of Radio Lab, and those two favorites of mine collided.

Which I guess should give you some flavor for the sort of huge geek that I am.

Rejection slips

I wonder if it’s coincidence that just as I’m getting way too involved in these two posts about editors who behave “badly” and publicly air their correspondence with troublesome writers, that the only writer whom I’ve ever had serious trouble with — and who at this point is effectively banned from submitting again to Kaleidotrope — that writer gets in touch.

But I won’t actually mention that writer by name, nor repost the content of the comments that led to the ban. It’s just not something I feel comfortable doing — even if, after wading through the comments at the above two links, I’m still not convinced the behavior is always unjustified.

I will just say this: don’t argue with a rejection letter. Just don’t. Even if you’re convinced the editor in question is an idiot or worse, and that’s the only reason your story has been rejected. Because you know, even if you’re right, that’s not an argument you’re likely to win. Your story will stay rejected, and your chance of being accepted with another will all but vanish.