I asked the authors who ran the previously blogged-about memoir-writing contest if they could offer me any feedback about my entry—which I suggested could be as simple as, “This sucks. You should go back to bartending.” I did not expect to receive a response, since they are up to their ears with the work of running the contest’s final round, and presumably have better things to do than to placate my neurosis. So imagine my surprise when I received the following note today from author Maria Dahvana Headley:

Hi there!

Sorry it took us a bit to get to your email—it’s been a crazy couple of weeks, as I’m sure you’ve seen on our blogs.

A word about the contest: as you saw, there were a ton of great entries, and we had a hell of a time choosing the finalists. There were around 220 entries, (maybe more, I think I may be inaccurate here) and we chose 6 finalists and a reader’s choice. By the end of it, we were pretty fried. … We’ve blogged some about our methods of choosing since you sent this email, so maybe that helped, but here’s a little more.

Of couse your piece doesn’t suck!!!

You were in our [top] 64 [entries, the number left after the initial cut]. We loved your synopsis—very quotable and unique, and we loved the excerpt too. I particularly liked this line, which made me laugh:

“I contemplate asking him to stand directly in front of me, if that’s the case, but I instead fix my gaze upon an imaginary spot somewhere on the horizon while he continues his tirade.”

I love the depiction of the kid totally adrift, but adrift in one of the most boundary-driven places he could ever have chosen to be adrift in. I like the wistful memory of underage drinking in Mark’s pool. Your writing is clear and well-paced, funny and wry. Reminds me of Jarhead (I’m sure you anticipated that) and I think there is a market for a book like this … sorta Jarhead meets Almost Famous, maybe? (That’s how I’d pitch it, if it was mine, as both were successful, one as a memoir/movie and one as just a movie … regardless, some publisher should be intrigued by the juxtaposition.) Why didn’t it make the finals? Stiff competition. We had to make some choices, and they were really hard to make. It was no slam on your writing though—we really liked it.

Be well, and keep going on this!!!

Maria and the Memoirists Collective

And just like that, I’m inspired to forge ahead with the memoir. Thanks, Maria.

Ahh, the mood swings of the sensitive and insecure writer.

Just imagine having to live with me.

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