Getting Help Along The Way

Because writing can feel like a lonely profession at times, it’s often helpful to connect with other writers whenever the opportunity arises. In fact, I’m currently participating in a small challenge with two other writers who also happen to be my good friends. I haven’t told them I’d like to post about this experience sometime, so I won’t go any further into it for now. But let me say that I’ve found their support and encouragement throughout the challenge to be incredibly helpful.

It’s not the first time I’ve had another writer help me out, and that’s really why I’m writing this post … to thank a writer and editor publicly for his help on a short story I wrote just over twenty years ago.

The story was titled “The Calling.” It was a very personal story that I wrote shortly after my mother’s death after her long battle with ovarian cancer. When I finished writing it, I was exhausted. I had poured more of myself into that story than anything else I’d ever written, and it had been difficult at times.

But I was proud of it, too. Because I shared an experience that many people would consider the ultimate experience … helping a loved one through the finals days of life.

I wasn’t sure if it was going to sell. I knew I was too close to the story to be objective about it. But if it didn’t sell, I knew that just writing it had been important to me.

I sent the story to Thomas F. Monteleone at Borderlands Press, who was putting together the first Borderlands anthology. And a few weeks later I received his response. He liked the story, thought it was powerful, but also thought it fell short at the end. He made a small suggestion on how to correct the problem, and invited me to resubmit the story if I’d like.

When I read Tom’s suggestion a chill rattled through me. He had nailed it perfectly. I hadn’t seen the missing element until he pointed it out, but there it was, right in front of me, and it was so on the mark, so powerful and right. I made the change immediately – I just had to add a couple of lines – sent back the story, and he bought it.

“The Calling” went on to win a Stoker Award that year, and for that I owe my great gratitude to Tom.

He could have read the story and rejected it out right. He could have sent it back and told me to keep working on it, without any hint at its weakness. He could have accepted it as it was and done both me and the Borderlands readers a great disservice.

But Tom is one of the those writer/editors who has a deep respect and passion for the written word. He cares about the stories he writes and he cares about the stories he publishes. I’m very fortunate that story ended up on his desk. Very fortunate.

Like any profession, writing is much easier when you have people like Tom who help you along the way.

And you know what?

I’m not the only one. Tom’s spent his whole career helping other writers.

What a great legacy.