Elizabeth Baldwin, Submission Editor

back-talk Elizabeth Baldwin Elizabeth Baldwin, Submission Editor Elizabeth Baldwin operates Word Count Editorial Services, which offers a wide variety of options for your editorial needs, working with both fiction and non-fiction materials. Services offered Copyediting | Proof Reading | Substantive Editing | Manuscript Evaluation | Read/Critique Groups | Writing Coach

2003 in Review

What a diverse and simply marvelous reading year I’ve had. And one of the best parts was getting to read the submissions for Writers Monthly and rediscovering the wonder of well-written short fiction and non-fiction.

From tongue-in-cheek humor of aliens fought off with a golf club to the witch who beguiled sharks, to the sad, pathetic planting of marigolds, the themes were as varied as…well, aliens and marigolds.

Of course, there are always stories that will resonate beyond their reading—a feeling, a mood that lingers when thought back upon. To recap the year, here are the three stories I still think about, even now:

James Lee’s Bury My Body Lord, I Don’t Care Where eloquently showed us the empty, modern life of this contemporary son dealing with the death of his father’s dog. The dog’s demise is an inconvenience, but triggers the realization of just how empty and isolated his life has become.

The prologue of John Van Roekel’s historical novel, Braver Deeds, is a devastating reminder of the cruelties of slavery and the heinous disregard for life based on color.

And last, but certainly not least, Alan Danzis’ Jenna had me chuckling and remembering my angst through many a college paper and struggling with those themes that seemed so difficult, but in reality, were just the sad lack of youthful introspection.

Thank you, each and every one of you, for a year full of wonderful gems! I can hardly wait for what the New Year will bring!

>>Back to top<<