Death is Eternal #365

Monday. September 11, 2023. 1,370 words.

It’s a good thing I decided to go leaner with all future Death is Eternal last week because I’m, again, with a tiny bit of a problem called “lack of time.” Surely, you can’t relate because that’s not an almost universal problem in today’s world... So, let’s deep dive into this refreshed newsletter without further ado.

Contents

1. Revolt of the Lash

2. Writing: Getting published

3. Bye!

4. Life (from September 4 to 17, 2023)

5. Death is Eternal review #236: Point Break

6. The end

1. Revolt of the Lash

“Are you ready to listen to me?”

The Senator’s question hung heavy in the air, met with a collective silence. The others weren’t prepared for this; truth be told, no one wanted it. Yet, they found themselves with no other recourse. Every other option had crumbled. Reluctantly, they nodded in reluctant agreement.

“Grant them amnesty,” he declared, his words slicing through the room, leaving a palpable tension in their wake.

His fellow politicians sat in stunned disbelief as the Senator unveiled his audacious proposition, just as he had anticipated. He allowed a brief pause, a heartbeat’s span, to gauge their reactions, ensuring no one could interject.

“And, mind you, we will be weaving a tapestry of untruths,” the shock was evident, but it was a different kind this time.

Once again, they were left flabbergasted, this revelation cutting deeper. The room buzzed with the weight of his scheme.

“We will promise them the world, perhaps even mould Rui Barbosa into a pliable tool,” he suggested, a sly smile dancing on their lips at the tantalizing prospect. “Then, once the turncoats are safely within our grasp and the ships firmly under our control, we shall concoct a narrative asserting they’ve breached our terms or pose an ongoing threat, and we shall confine them. If we narrate it right, the masses will rally behind us,” he concluded, a smirk playing upon his lips.

The politicians and military leaders exchanged glances, a shared understanding settling over them. They were not embracing treachery; they were embracing survival and, in the end, triumph. With a collective raise of their glasses, they saluted the plan, toasting to victory and their impending heroism in the eyes of the world.

The end

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The Revolt of the Lash (Portuguese: Revolta da Chibata) was a naval mutiny in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in late November 1910. It was the direct result of white naval officers’ use of whips (“lashes”) when punishing Afro-Brazilian and mixed-race enlisted sailors.

2. Writing: Getting published

Credit: Substack (various magazines over a long table)

Today, I’ll teach you how to get published... except I won’t. If I knew how to get published, I’d already be a published writer instead of whatever I am today.

No, in this clickbait section, I’ll talk about... not an epiphany I had but a decision I recently... decided—decision/decided; I guess that partially explains why I never got published. Anyway...

For the past two months or so, I’ve been teasing you with my new book. I mentioned the structure, the plans, and even why I haven’t begun to write it yet. However, something was bothering me. I’m not one not to start writing. I love to write, and I want to write, so if I’m getting some excuses not to write, something is going on. And I think I understood what was and is going on.

I’m afraid.

So far, I have written nine books (six you can buy by clicking this link, one I didn’t like and shelved, one last year during NaNoWriMo, and one that I’ve been promising myself I’ll digitize since 2020 but haven’t digitized... yet) and 150+ short stories. And after all of that, I’m still only a self-published writer. That’s not something that makes me happy, and that’s what’s stopping me from beginning a new novel.

Why should I put all the effort into it if, chances are, it’ll be another book that won’t see the light of day? (Not because it’s not good, but because the market is brutal.)

Does that mean I’ll never again try to get published?

No!

And here’s where the realization and decision come into play. I realized that one of the reasons no one wants to publish me is because no one has read me. And I can’t blame the editors—I may blame Substack, though—because they have one too many novels to read. So, I want to give them a chance to read me, and how can I do that? Through short stories.

You see, I wrote 150+ short stories to practice writing and to self-publish. I never really tried to publish them. So, now, I decided this has to change. Moving forward, I’ll search for any contest and literary magazine accepting submissions, and I’ll write a short story for them. I’ll forget novels exist and will focus on getting published in anthologies, magazines, zines, or whatever, and luckily, I’ll get published, and with even more luck, I’ll win an award here and there.

My theory is that if I get published enough times and win a couple of things, editors will at least know my name when I decide to submit a novel, or my writing resume will at least make them pause for a second while scrolling down their endless list of “hopeful authors,” and that’ll help me achieve my biggest goal: publish a book.

Do you think that’s a good idea? Or do you think I’m going crazy? Or do you think I should be less this-or-that and focus on both short stories and novels?

3. Bye!

Here’s where we say our farewell to the free subscribers. If you want to read the rest of Death is Eternal, consider becoming a paying subscriber. If you already are a paying subscriber, first of all, thank you very, very much! And second, I’ll see you on the other side of the paywall.