First things first. Jenn Reese, you are a cruel and vicious woman. One Fish, indeed.

I got behind. It's a mystery story. It'll take another week to finish. If you want to see it when I'm done, just let me know.

Well, it's official. Kris and Dean's workshop has spoiled me silly.

I got back from the workshop and had pretty much decided that I was going to leave my old on-line workshop once I got back. They are stuck in a place in which I no longer care to be, and well, there's no way I can carry them and myself out of the muck. So, you know, it was time to move on.

Then I got home. It was my turn to submit a story to the on-line workshop. I figured, aw, what the hell. I'll just send them one of the stories I wrote in Oregon that didn't go over quite as well as the rest of them. (I'd like to state that I was told to put this story in the mail at the workshop, by a professional editor with much more experience than anyone in my on-line group. That's an understatement. The editor is a god. The people in my on-line worshop are deacons in the church which worship the god. That's the difference.)

It was a good story, but there were a couple small items that weren't working, so I figured I'd give the workshop a shot at helping my figure out what the problems were.

Never the fuck again.

I was called offensive. The word "terrible," came up in one critique. Yet some people loved it.

Now, those of you who know me know that I have no problems with pissing people off. I sort of enjoy it, to be precise. But this just showed me that I really have nothing left to gain by staying there.

It was a cute little story, not intended for anything other than pure silliness and entertainment.

They took it seriously. The ones who enjoyed it understood the humor and even some of those who hated it understood the humor.

But people, get over yourselves. It's a story. It's entertainment. If your trying to change the world through great oration full of dramatic themes and important messages . . . well, let me know how that works out for you.

I'll be over here telling stories.

Joseph Haines, signing off from The Edge of The Abyss.