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Thursday, May 31, 2007

13 -- Little Comfort

NOTE: This blog is a continuing dialog between the two faces of rilla. The identity crisis is explained (if such a thing is possible) in the first edition. Click here to read: 1 -- Introduction

Rilla: Where are you?
rilla: Here.
Rilla: You’re in bed? What’re you doing in bed?
rilla: Reading.
Rilla: Aren’t you supposed to be writing…? Isn’t that your job?
rilla: Oh, reading’s part of the job too. Got to read at least as much as I write, but ideally way more.
Rilla: Why? So you can steal ideas from other authors?
rilla: The term is ‘be inspired’.
Rilla: Ah! What’s that?
rilla: What?
Rilla: There’s a lump beside you.
rilla: Oh, that’s just Sha-do.
Rilla: Sha-do? But I don’t see him.
rilla: He likes to crawl under the comforter.
Rilla: Good grief! How does he breathe?
rilla: I don’t know. He just does. I guess he thinks if we’re under the comforter he can be there too.
Rilla: We don’t cover our heads…
rilla: Will you give it up already.
Rilla: OK. What’re you reading?
rilla: I’m reading about Marina Lewycka.
Rilla: Who?
rilla: She’s a Ukranian writer who lives in the UK. Her books have just become widely successful.
Rilla: How nice for her.
rilla: It took her forty years of trying. She was fifty-eight when her first book was published.
Rilla: WHAT!
rilla: Yeah…listen to this, this is what she has to say – “Lots of very good writers never get published, and that could easily have happened to me. People think that good writers will always come out in the end, but I don't believe that."
Rilla: Oh how nice and depressing…
rilla: It’s the last day of May. Another month gone by.
Rilla: Yeah. I know. I love months with thirty-one days. Don’t you? It just feels like you’ve got more for your money, more bang for your buck, when a month gives you thirty-one full days. Not like that miserly February. I hate February. And what's with that twenty-ninth day, now you see it, now you don't...Wait a minute, why are you sighing. You look…I get it. The depressing article…the inability to get out of bed… Something’s happened.
rilla: Umm…yeah. You could say that. I got another rejection from an agent.
Rilla: Ah! And you can’t face the world.
rilla: Not today.
Rilla: And that’s why you have the cat all cuddled up for comfort.
rilla: He came on his own. Isn’t it amazing, how they just know when you’re not feeling that upbeat? He’s been all purring and lovey-dovey. Oh, and here comes the other one. That’s the great thing about cats…they just know when you’re down…here Fog-gi.

Sha-do: Hey, Fog-gi. Come here. Look where I am.
Fog-gi: Where? I can’t see you.
Sha-do: Look for me you idiot. Bet you’ll never find me. All these days I’ve been wondering…and look what I discovered. This is wild! Try to find me, dolt.
Fog-gi: Where ARE you? Oh! I see you now. What’re you doing there? She’s going to KILL you…!
Sha-do: I KNOW…isn’t that cool?

rilla: OK. Time to get out of my doldrums, I guess. Come on Sha-do, let’s get you a snack. Thanks for being there for me, for knowing…Sha-do? Sha-do!
Rilla: What’s wrong?
rilla: I don’t know where he is.
Rilla: What do you mean? He’s right there beside you underneath the comforter.
rilla: Only he isn’t. Look! I’m lifting the comforter and…OH MY GOD! Will you look at that.
Rilla: What? What?
rilla: He’s not under the comforter…HE’S INSIDE IT! He’s crawled through the button flaps of the duvet cover there at my feet and wriggled his way up through it.
Rilla: How on earth?
rilla: And what’s…NO, NO! Sha-do STOP THAT! He’s chewing the feathers out of the quilt…Get down, naughty boy. And here I thought you were trying to comfort me.
Rilla: At least he got you out of bed…and in the future, if you’re looking for comfort, stick to the comforter…it doesn’t bite.





Better Late Than Never - Read How Marina Finally Had Her Dream Come True!

5 comments:

Stephanie, PQW said...

Aw man, I'm sorry. My gosh, what does it take? Surely they can see that your writing is wonderful. What do these people want from us...blood? How could they turn you down, they're lunatics! Oh well, eat ice cream, sit in the sunshine, and read lots of yummy books. It always helps me. It you.re looking for your fan club, we're here. See you Saturday.

rilla jaggia said...

Hey J:
Thanks for the lovely words. That fan club's what keeps me going some days. I think blood is a very good guess...what do you do when you're anemic? Well, I'm taking your advice...sunshine, plenty of ice cream and Mma Ramotswe for me. Gosh I feel like I've just had my tonsils out...
See you Saturday ;)

Natalie said...

Rilla, how ironic that I read your post today--the same day I finished reading A SHORT HISTORY OF TRACTORS...and I loved it! Thanks for the interview link--she's really inspiring, isn't she? Just the thing to help writers out of a rejection slump, don't you think? Hang in there, Rilla--I'm looking forward to hearing good news from you in the future!
:-)

rilla jaggia said...

Hey Natalie,
How fun...can I borrow the book from you some time? She is inspiring. I just hope I don't have to wait until I'm 58 for the news to be good ;) Hope your writing's going well! Love to hear your good news as well...

Natalie said...

Oh, I'd love to lend you the book, Rilla, but it belongs to a friend of mine...otherwise I'd pop it in the mail and send it over. :-)