On the writing front, I just received a personal rejection from Gordon at F&SF today. As far as rejections go, getting the personal note about the story direct from Gordon isn't the worst thing . . .

No other news in the works right now. I've got seventeen short-stories out looking for homes right now, and it looks like all the responses are going to end up hitting relatively close together.

So, I either have a very good week coming up or . . .

Ah hell. Time to start another story.

Which will be tough. One of the few instances where I experience writer's block is just after finishing what I consider to be a really good story. It's not that I don't think that of every story I finish, but every once in a while I'll write one that stands out from the crowd; is maybe even a bit higher in quality than the others. Afterwards, I'm afraid that I won't be able to reach the same level again, so I hesistate when I sit down to the keyboard.

What I really need to do is write a gory, nasty, slouching beast of a horror story. Make myself giggle, and all that.

Ah well, enough whining for one day.

Joseph Haines, signing off from The Edge of the Abyss.