Holy crapsticks, I'm going to be a McSweeney's Contributor!

Just got the note from the McSweeney's people that asked me to write a story for the Sunday Paper edition they are coming out with at the end of the month.

Here's the link for the project

http://www.mcsweeneys.net/SFPanoramaPR.html

The sports section front could have stories from me and also Stephen King.

I'm so excited, I think I'm about to puke.

 

THAT'S SO AWESOME!!!

I know a McSweeney's contributor (kind of) and got a Christmas present from him!

(will it be about the trend of older virgins?)

 

Congratulations, my man. I am looking forward even more to reading the SF Panorama now.

 

great stuff. very excited for you. woo-hoo!! ;D 8)

 

Much thanks for the kind words.
Holy crapsticks, long-form narrative journalism is Fing hard. The 600 word max has ruined me.
I was assigned 2,000 words in a "literary journalism style" and it is due on Friday. Or today, or tomorrow depending on your timezone.
My second draft is 2,509 words and I think I'm about to cry and I'm exhausted but excited at the same time.
I have a new found appreciation for the guys and gals who do this on a regular basis.
Some of the board's regulars, or least were regulars, Jones, JG, ChB, Double D, Friend and the rest, wow. I envy and hate your jobs right now.

 

In an update to the update.
Dave Eggers liked what I did, said I was a good writer and then asked if I could turn the 2,500 word piece into something even larger.
Here's a portion of the conversation
Dave Eggers: We made a mistake with some of the newspaper writers and tried to constrain them in a tight space. And when I read you, I saw that you were one of the guys who was trying to shoehorn all this information into only 2,000 words and it didn't really work. That isn't meant to be a criticism of you, it was true for all the newspaper writers, they are being told shorter is better and that's not what we want, so I really want you to unleash it.

me: okay

DE: Cut loose, write as long as you can, it can be 5,000 words, 6,000 words. As long as you need it to be. Don't worry about getting cut, it will all get in.

me: wow, I wish my editor was more like you

DE: I've been getting that a lot from the other newspaper writers.

 

As somebody who knows Jay, I'm proud of him.

Also, he should serve as an example for all of us. Don't be afraid to hear "No" when pitching freelance articles. You never know when Dave Eggers will like your work.

(Though liking Jay's work makes me seriously reconsider Eggers' genius status. ;D )