Was it something I said?

I applied for membership in the "Sassy Southern Writers" group over a week ago, and have yet to approved. I think I look pretty good on paper, so I'm wondering...maybe she read my blog? Well, that'll learn me.

It wasn't a completely wasted effort though. As part of my application I had to list which Southern writers I like and admire. And I realized that other than Olive Ann Burns and Margaret Mitchell, I'm not really familiar with many Southern writers.

So I went a-googling and I found Eudora Welty.

Now, I complain about the South a lot, I know. But really and truly, if you can look beyond the rednecks, the racists, the misogynists, the homophobes and the bible beaters...

The South has a very rich, interesting history and culture all it's own. There is a gentility, a nobility, a romance...that is difficult to deny. It's that South that I like to explore through the eyes of a competent storyteller. It's that kind of slice of life narrative that keeps me reading far into the night.

So I went to the library and I checked our her 1973 Pulitzer Prize winning novel "The Optimist's Daughter", and another, "The Ponder Heart."

What delicious titles! What promise they hold.

I am only a couple pages into The Optimist's Daughter, but already I am captivated by her prose.

The reviews, as you see, if you've clicked on the highlighted links, are mixed. But I've found that truly great literature often evokes very mixed reactions, although equally strong, whether good or bad.

I can't wait to continue reading.

If you're looking for some good Southern slice of life reading, I highly recommend "Cold Sassy Tree" and "Leaving Cold Sassy" by Olive Ann Burns. I devoured them whole, hardly pausing to chew up the words. They were that yummy.

That said....

I did find another writing group that looks much more my style. It strikes me as a little more refined, a little more sophisticated, and a LOT more intimidating.

These are not suburban housewives writing bodice rippers.

These are real writers, publishers, editors; honest to goodness professional book type people. Now, they say that everybody is welcome, and I'm sure they do make everyone feel welcome.

But I feel as if I have no legitimacy as a writer. I have nothing to prove that what I write is worth a plugged nickel. I have no professional valdiation, publication or association. I have no degree. I have nothing.

I feel unworthy.

But I refuse to let that stop me. I know I'm a good writer. And the whole purpose of this group is to get the exposure that I need. To make contacts, to network, to schmooze. To learn how to navigate the very scary world of publishing.

I am going to GET me some legitimacy, dammit.

I am both exhilirated and terrified by the thought.

Now...what am I going to wear???