Anne,
You're right. You don't belong in academia, and no talented, young writer in these times does. I knew and was a friend of Ray Carver's. His stories arose from his failed middle class life in the real world not writing work shops. Yes, he was a shameless literary hustler because he knew where the tenured money was, but his stories arose from a screwed up alcoholic life not some creative writing course immersed in endless vivisection and methodology.He wrote about a world he knew and not about a world that somebody else taught him. Anne, keep writing, and do it on your own. You show promise.;

Its your story, your baby.

Write it how you feel it should be told. Each story has its own voice and to shoe-horn into what others 'think' it should be just kills the story and your urge to write. Turns the story into treacle, muck, goop, an indigestible lump of words that you will quickly shove into the mental rubbish bin to be forgotten. And if you the writer can no longer bear it, pity the poor reader who decides to try and read it.

I remember wanting to be Ray Carver as an undergrad - had a hard time telling good from pretentious in those days, and your classmates don't help. Nice testament to the plain old-fashioned story. If I have any criticism, it's the last line, which breaks a fourth wall I didn't know was there until you broke it. I might have ended with "Realize you don't care and start the new story," or even end with the new story's first line to keep us in the scene. All in all, awesome work, and I hope to see more!

Thank you! It's absolutely true. Aspiring writers should brace themselves for a feast of rejections. As of today, I've had 112 rejections. It is depressing. If I wasn't a forty-year-old mom of four then I would certainly have my folks come pick me up in my dirty pajamas! On the upside, the tide does start to turn if you are diligent and professional. It's well worth the humiliation endured once you finally get invited to have your first book signing event! As you said, Keep writing, no matter what anyone says.