Each year the SCWC has a writing contest in which all conferees are invited to participate. The rules are simple: Write a piece in any form you wish of no more than 250 words based on the topic announced Friday night. The topic for the 15th annual conference was "Road". Adam Lovingood of San Francisco, CA is one of this year's winning authors.
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I GAZED AT HIM over our third round of cocktails. After six-plus ounces of liquor, I was ready
to confide. "I'm frustrated. It's not a matter of quitting writing. I'll always write. But
I want to get published. I just don't know how."
He leaned back and gripped the edge of the bar with his large hands. "All right! I shouldn't
do this, but I'm gonna give you the key. The answer to publishing, to being a good writer, to
the whole fuckin' universe."
He moved closer with his sweet whiskey breath and said in a voice barely above a whisper, "It's
road."
I sat deathly still waiting for him to continue but watched instead as a knowing smile invaded
his features signaling the end of the lesson. I could tell he expected a response. "I... I...
uh... don't understand. Road? Like a street?"
"No! It's not like a street. Road. Road!" He said as if commanding the word to explain
itself.
I was silent and contemplative for a moment before proffering, "Is it an acronym?"
"You don't get it. I should've known better. I damn well should've know better than to tell
you this." He stood up angrily, grabbed his black windbreaker and turned to leave.
"I'm sorry," I stammered. "It just doesn't make any sense."
"Really? Well, maybe that's why you haven't been published. Maybe that's why your writing
sucks!" He exited the bar quickly continuing to mutter unintelligibly and not looking back.
| Copyright 2001, Adam Lovingood. Used with permission. |
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