“Nobody Broke Your Heart; You Broke Your Own Because You Can’t Finish What You Start.”

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+ My hair is the longest it’s ever been & I painted a little house for the birds.
+ “Whiskey & Ribbons” made the 2011 storySouth Million Writers Notable Stories list! I am so stoked (!!!) and thank you much to Jason Sanford and also, Matthew and Kristin over @ Carve Magazine for all that you do. And thank you to the judge who voted for my story!! (Thank you thank you.)
+ There’s also this little thing that Matthew wrote over @ Carve re: crafting a strong opening. He uses “Whiskey & Ribbons” as an example, which is just awesome and the sweetest. I told Kristin this on the phone when she called me re: the contest, but I was full-on embarrassed when I entered it. I read so much and I see crazy-beautiful writing everywhere all of the time and it’s hard to stand out! I feel blessed and lucky to be given a chance at things and I try to keep on keeping on. But I have a very Taylor Swift reaction to these types of things and probs always will. And I know you have to know me to know this but I am not putting you on. I am truly stoked and there is a part of me that will always be surprised when I get published. And re: this particular story, “Whiskey & Ribbons,” I thought about that story for YEARSSSS before I wrote it. In its first form, I wrote it as a play, waaaay back like right before September 11. And it turned into a million different things before it ended up where it ended up. I wrote the first bits of it before I had our daughter, who is now eight. So much changed and I put it away for a long time so this story will always be extra special to me. And would be, even if no one else on Earth had read it. But having other people from all different parts of the world read it and write me about it =

and that’s just my truth.
+ Also this week, I got too many rejections to count. Well, I can probs count them but I won’t. But I got 2 huge ones that I’d been waiting to hear back on for like a year so those were bummers. And I think 3 or 4 others. That’s just the way it be.
+ God is good to me. And I stay interested in the discussion re: “Christian” art/writing/music. I like this article. I am a Christian. And a writer. But no, I don’t consider myself a “Christian writer.” I don’t even think that means anything. This is a longer conversation. But I wanted to put the link out there b/c I likey.
+ In love w/Miranda July right now. And getting some veggies and flowers into the ground. And some songs by Beach House, The Magnetic Fields, some new songs by DMB. Oldskool stuff like “Lonely Teardrops” by Jackie Wilson. And just for good measure, two songs I never get tired of (I have many): “Alameda” by Elliott Smith and “Jacksonville Skyline” by Whiskeytown.

19. May 2012 by Leesa
Categories: List, Music, Writing | 2 comments