Friday, April 27, 2007

Form Rejection

A momentous event occurred yesterday -- a significant moment in my burgeoning career as a professional writer. A rite of passage, if you will.

I got my first form rejection letter.

I sent a short story to a magazine, and they sent it back with a lovely note addressed to "Dear Contributor," explaining that they were just swamped with submissions and couldn't possibly consider my story for publication right now.

Awesome!

I know, that doesn't sound like good news. And I suppose it isn't. However, I've read a few biographies of writers in my time, and I can't think of one that doesn't reminisce about this moment in their writerly lives. It's really exciting. Stephen King got letters like this once. So did Tom Robbins, and George R.R. Martin. And now I've got one, too.

Of course, I won't be a real writer until I have a big thick stack of 'em. But it's a start. Now, I need to take a look at that story and see if there's anything that really needs changing, and then send it somewhere else. And I've got to keep writing new stuff until I come up with something they just cannot afford to turn down.

Friday, April 20, 2007

Mercury Fur - Highly Recommended!

"Mercury Fur makes A Clockwork Orange look like cheerful children's theater." ~ Jack Helbig

The Chicago Reader included Mercury Fur in its "Highly Recommended" list. I'm not sure if I approve the shot at Clockwork, though. Them's fightin' words!

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Mercury Fur

So, I choreographed the violence for this fucked up play called Mercury Fur, written by Philip Ridley. It's directed by Greg Beam for The Broken Compass. The show has been getting some good reviews, like this one here, and this other one here.

Apparently after one performance an audience member had to run out and vomit in the alley. And I know how much you guys enjoy watching plays that make you barf.

Mercury Fur runs Thursdays - Sundays through May 20 at the Peter Jones Gallery, 1806 West Cuyler, in Chicago. Tickets are fifteen bucks, or ten for students.