https://www.terrydubow.com/chasing-phantoms-thoughts-on-writing daily 0.75 2025-08-17 https://www.terrydubow.com/chasing-phantoms-thoughts-on-writing/an-editor-gave-me-something-i-didnt-ask-for monthly 0.5 2025-08-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/671ea117678abb0425a9f9ec/a1e481aa-b481-437c-bb62-6b9630ce0782/Diane+Letter+3.jpg Chasing Phantoms: Thoughts on Writing - An Editor Gave Me Something I Didn’t Ask For I remember feeling embarrassed that I had felt so confident in my abilities, only to learn that she didn't like my story as much as she liked about a dozen of its sentences. I remember weighing it like it was some sort of moral, ethical conundrum:. Do I accept my first publication, truncated and abbreviated and curated as it was, or do I stand on principle about my great short story, “A Gift?” I probably talked to my twin brother about it. I know I talked to my wife about it. I didn't know any other writers, so it probably ended there. In the end, it didn’t take much time or thought to decide. I said, Sure. I said, Thank you. Diane changed nearly every word, including and especially the title -- “A Man Gave Me Something I Didn’t Ask For.” I hated it at first. Now, of course, I think it’s about the only good part of the story. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/671ea117678abb0425a9f9ec/1744350127464-ETX8L8RUQ0TLSPN6BWSP/SQ.jpg Chasing Phantoms: Thoughts on Writing - An Editor Gave Me Something I Didn’t Ask For https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/671ea117678abb0425a9f9ec/1744350096924-4ZVBBNYWS35N46XE4H80/Back+of+Journal.jpg Chasing Phantoms: Thoughts on Writing - An Editor Gave Me Something I Didn’t Ask For https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/671ea117678abb0425a9f9ec/1744350566735-O6HMAFTURLJV0F1JL530/TOC.jpg Chasing Phantoms: Thoughts on Writing - An Editor Gave Me Something I Didn’t Ask For https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/671ea117678abb0425a9f9ec/1744350665564-LL9VU5SF8GEMFG9OPD00/A+Man+Gave+Me.jpg Chasing Phantoms: Thoughts on Writing - An Editor Gave Me Something I Didn’t Ask For https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/671ea117678abb0425a9f9ec/737ecfa1-16fa-4284-aaff-0d8b8874b0e8/Diane+Letter+1.jpg Chasing Phantoms: Thoughts on Writing - An Editor Gave Me Something I Didn’t Ask For The note was from a journal called Story Quarterly, and, as you can see from the letter I received, an editor named Diane Williams wanted to see my story again. She asked me to call her if I had any questions. She invited me to call collect. Of course she did. See how easy this is? So I called her. As I remember, she was intrigued with my story and encouraged me to trim it. To get to its essence. Sitting on my slip-covered futon, I responded like I knew what she meant. In my head, I was like, I knew it. Through osmosis or raw talent, I understood how to compose the kind of story that made editors sit up. This was the secret I wanted everyone to know. I had both the aspirations and the tickets. Actually, I didn't know it. I hoped it. I bit down on it, like the inside of a cheek. I sent her the revision and waited again. I look back at that version of me with a tilt of the head and something like wistfulness if not envy. That guy wanted it as badly as this guy does, and for a short string of time, he felt like he might be able to bypass the trials and humiliations that plagued the artists and writers he knew about (which, to be honest, were not that many). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/671ea117678abb0425a9f9ec/1744349645127-YPVMJHRMWDC01XVRLS62/Gift+1.jpg Chasing Phantoms: Thoughts on Writing - An Editor Gave Me Something I Didn’t Ask For https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/671ea117678abb0425a9f9ec/1744349646211-2V63Y6A21OO98BLS27FJ/Gift+2.jpg Chasing Phantoms: Thoughts on Writing - An Editor Gave Me Something I Didn’t Ask For https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/671ea117678abb0425a9f9ec/1744349653080-ULM1BARWW1A9MP3ZO9XK/Gift+3.jpg Chasing Phantoms: Thoughts on Writing - An Editor Gave Me Something I Didn’t Ask For https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/671ea117678abb0425a9f9ec/1744349654445-5G9WWW0YJN4Q1GML1NYJ/Gift+4.jpg Chasing Phantoms: Thoughts on Writing - An Editor Gave Me Something I Didn’t Ask For https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/671ea117678abb0425a9f9ec/1744349657384-3888FXAP8I0BAF3AWMXV/Gift+5.jpg Chasing Phantoms: Thoughts on Writing - An Editor Gave Me Something I Didn’t Ask For https://www.terrydubow.com/chasing-phantoms-thoughts-on-writing/the-case-for-chasing-phantoms monthly 0.5 2025-03-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/671ea117678abb0425a9f9ec/61d27dd0-1f65-426b-90c0-83c329296f09/Screenshot+2024-11-06+at+10.41.49+PM.jpg Chasing Phantoms: Thoughts on Writing - The case for Chasing Phantoms - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.terrydubow.com/chasing-phantoms-thoughts-on-writing/other-monsters monthly 0.5 2025-03-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/671ea117678abb0425a9f9ec/1731221703865-PS3Y4NCNN22V880NCFPX/Other+Monsters.jpg Chasing Phantoms: Thoughts on Writing - Other Monsters - Make it stand out Returning to 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https://www.terrydubow.com/home daily 1.0 2025-11-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/671ea117678abb0425a9f9ec/e82b5d8e-2e18-44b3-a50f-b8a7ad8d63eb/TD+Pic.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/671ea117678abb0425a9f9ec/a6928a80-cb8f-4cf0-9c66-fd4ba16b86ea/Thanatopsis.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/671ea117678abb0425a9f9ec/1731221703865-PS3Y4NCNN22V880NCFPX/Other+Monsters.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/671ea117678abb0425a9f9ec/1744349645127-YPVMJHRMWDC01XVRLS62/Gift+1.jpg Home https://www.terrydubow.com/novels daily 0.75 2025-03-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/671ea117678abb0425a9f9ec/99ef44da-d5f2-409b-a9cc-d340bcd3a19c/Screenshot+2024-10-27+at+11.05.50+PM.png Novels - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. 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Having raised Rachel after his sister Charlotte’s tragic death, Ian wrestles with his own guilt, unresolved grief, and the fraught dynamic between them. Adding to the tension is Peter McIntosh, Ian’s former best friend and the man responsible for Charlotte’s death, whose release from prison reopens old wounds. Set in suburban Ohio, the novel delves into the complexities of love, loss, and the fragile connections that define us. Make It Beautiful is a raw exploration of family loyalty, the lasting impact of trauma. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/671ea117678abb0425a9f9ec/275c032a-2580-470b-91d2-a8247aa6270b/Screenshot+2024-10-28+at+10.49.32+PM.png Novels - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/671ea117678abb0425a9f9ec/91f40825-df80-4c2f-82ad-ab393581635e/Screenshot+2025-03-15+at+11.05.38+AM.png Novels - Make it stand out In The Year We Learned Nothing, Jackson Graft, a teacher at McGuire Academy in New Hampshire, contends with the challenges of fatherhood, a crumbling marriage, and his own identity amid America’s cultural divide. Set against the backdrop of the 2018 Kavanaugh hearings, Graft’s world becomes a crucible where personal and political tensions collide. As his teenage daughter, Mallory, leads protests on campus, Jackson faces questions around gender, privilege, and power—both in his past and his present. Through a blend of intimate storytelling and cultural critique, The Year We Learned Nothing reveals the complexities of legacy and morality, capturing one man’s struggle to find his place in a world that’s rapidly evolving, and raising the question of whether he can live up to the principles he once held dear. https://www.terrydubow.com/about-me daily 0.75 2025-03-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/671ea117678abb0425a9f9ec/1730060571661-EJ9FC4WU7JKYZJB72QK5/IMG_0313_Original.jpeg About Me - THIS Is my family. These people — and this dog — are as fabulous as they look. I met my wife on her first day of college in 1990, and we’ve been inseparable ever since. She has the hugest heart and fiercest sense of justice of anyone I’ve ever met. And these two daughters take after her in all the best ways. They are social activists and artists with agency and vision. Even our dog , Sophie, who left us in the summer of 2024, knew what was up. Living among these women has sharpened my skills, exposed my deficits, and charged me with becoming the best version of myself I can muster. https://www.terrydubow.com/connect daily 0.75 2025-05-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/671ea117678abb0425a9f9ec/030990d5-f6fd-4097-9f80-5dc69c8e3b27/TD.jpg Connect https://www.terrydubow.com/reviews daily 0.75 2024-11-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/671ea117678abb0425a9f9ec/1730439590162-C9AERCRPJE74NHWXV02X/Screenshot+2024-10-31+at+10.39.10+PM.png Reviews https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/671ea117678abb0425a9f9ec/3bcd2e11-2011-4c78-aa81-6a91c453c83e/What+Steal+from+Wyoming.jpg Reviews https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/671ea117678abb0425a9f9ec/63558a90-a9b9-45ef-b75b-c634442ec6af/Screenshot+2024-11-23+at+11.55.58+PM.png Reviews