A Holiday Gift from Peeves and Rants

Given that this is the holiday season, it seems appropriate to share this peevish, rant-filled treat with all of you. Enjoy!

--Prunella Peeve

Prunella Lives!

I apologize profusely--especially to my cherished comrade Curly--for my absence. I am glad to see that Curly has been keeping the blog alive and lively.

I can't promise that my appalling lack of posts will be changing anytime soon, but I will make an effort to appear here more regularly!

--Prunella

Sidewalks as Ashtrays (and Toilets)

Why am I so unaccountably pleased when someone else rants about something peeve-worthy that annoys me, too? In this case, The New York Times has just run a "Complaint Box" piece that focuses on lax disposal of cigarette butts. I agree with the writer. But what makes me even happier are the column's comments, many of which articulate some of my own primary peeves as a city-dweller. I'm talking about how much I hate sharing the sidewalks with dogs who are using said sidewalk as a toilet/urinal, and how much I despise having to inhale cigarette smoke while strolling from place A to place B because someone else must walk-and-smoke at the same time. I guess misery really does love company!

--Prunella Peeve

Information, Please

Well, back to matters related to writing and publishing...

I'm pretty picky about the writing contests I enter. But unfortunately, it's difficult to know beforehand how a journal, publisher, or organization is going to (mis)handle one key aspect of contest management: notification of contest results.

It really peeves me when I find out the results of a competition only when the organizer deigns to mention them on a blog--and only because I regularly check that blog. This is, in fact, how, just today, I discovered the outcome of a competition to which I submitted my work (and an entry fee) more than four months ago. Apparently, the results were made public online about a week ago.

Never mind that the organizers have my e-mail address (entries and fees were submitted online). Never mind that, when the organizers recently posted an announcement on a discussion board calling for submissions to ANOTHER of their contests, I wrote to inquire about this one (no one replied). It's irritating that they couldn't be bothered to let me know when to expect an announcement, let alone to inform me of the results directly.

I assure you that this is not a matter of sour grapes. Sure, I'd be happier if I'd won or placed in the contest that sparked this particular post. But one thing is certain: I will never submit to these organizers' contests again.

--Prunella Peeve

Managing to Write with Children Around

Yes, I'm back. I know my presence has been missed. But today is your lucky day--two peeves in one post!

Peeve #1: All the writers out there whining about how hard it is to write when they're raising children. For some reason, the stay-at-home parents whose children are in school all day (all day, when the rest of us are at the office and unable to pursue our own writing, as it happens) are among the worst offenders here. It's too hard to write when you're raising children and keeping a home. There are so many errands and carpools to manage! You have to prepare dinner. Etc. Well, some of us have to manage our own households, prepare our own meals, AND devote at least 40 hours each week to earning a paycheck. We may not have children, but we don't have a whole lot of time to write, either.

Peeve #2: But in a way, I can empathize with some of the difficulties parent-writers encounter. You see, when I return to my apartment after work, I try to go right to the computer and focus on my writing. And it's a bit distracting to hear children yelling and screaming and racing up and down the hallway outside.

Now, I like children. I'm even related to some children I frankly adore. But there are times when I wonder why people seem utterly unconcerned with the effects their children have on others.

Like yesterday evening. When I stepped away from the computer and peeked out my front door, I saw that there were SIX children making a racket out there, four of whom live in apartments on our hallway. It was apparently too difficult to confine their late-in-the-day playdate to an apartment. And they do own the hallway, right?

There were no parents around--just nannies. I guess the parents were away somewhere. Maybe they were writing. I sure wasn't.

--Prunella Peeve

Why I Will No Longer Write for a Certain Publication

1) It's sloppy. Each issue contains numerous formatting inconsistencies, plus spelling errors (including repeated misspellings of my own name).
2) It's unpredictable. I've asked the editor for an editorial/publishing calendar numerous times. Doesn't seem to exist.
3) Its Web site is out-of-date.
4) Despite multiple requests--one of which was actually acknowledged by return e-mail-- I seem unable to obtain a contributor's copy of the issue containing my last (as in most recent, as well as final) piece. Never mind my subscription copy.
5) I can't seem to script an e-mail to the editor these days without waves of irritation and annoyance washing over me.

What factors can make you swear off writing for a particular publication?

--Prunella

Miss Conduct's "Annual Airing of Grievances"

Oh, did I enjoy reading through these grievances from "Miss Conduct" and her many commenters over on the Boston Globe's Web site. What a perfect way to end the year! Hope that you enjoy this material as much as I did!

--Prunella

Prunella's Return, and a New Rant Resource

Prunella lives!

I must apologize for my long absence. Please be assured that this blog has not been far from my mind. Especially on Sundays.

That's when I read and enjoy the "Complaint Box" in the Sunday "Metropolitan" section of The New York Times. Today I noticed this note alongside the column itself:

"Steamed? Dish out the peeves. Send your essays of up to 500 words to metropolitan(at)nytimes(dot)com."

If only guidelines that don't specify pay rates didn't peeve me so much!

--Prunella Peeve

How to Ensure That I Won't Promote Your Site, Book, Business, Etc.

I frequently receive e-mails from writers who'd like me to promote their books, services, courses, Web sites, etc. on my own blog or in my newsletter. One of these requests arrived today. Here are just a couple of reasons why I'm not likely to follow through on the writer's suggestion that her information merits a mention:

1) The subjects she covers in her books/courses (all of which cost good money--tell me about a giveaway or a scholarship and I'm much more interested) are only tangentially related to the material my readers expect me to cover.

2) The links she provided in her initial e-mail to me did not take me directly to the materials she thought I should promote for her. She referred me instead to bigger, not particularly well-organized Web sites where I could not locate two of the three items she had highlighted.

3) When I responded to her e-mail noting that I do not promote materials I have not yet seen myself (this would be her hint to offer me review copies), and telling her about my difficulty locating items on the Web, she wrote back--no salutation--telling me that there shouldn't be any problem with the links, because they work for her. So I had to compose another message re-explaining that the links worked, but did not take me directly to the materials she wanted me to know about.

I think it's pretty safe to say that I won't be promoting this author or her work anytime soon.

--Prunella Peeve

The 12 Most Annoying Types of Facebookers

One day, I fear, I will come to this blog and Curly will have posted a peeve about co-bloggers who do not post regularly!

But I am back, and I bring with me this funny (and maybe too true) post about "the 12 most annoying types of Facebookers." I've only been a Facebooker for a relatively short time, but already I've noted many of the types delineated within this article. Which type do you find MOST annoying?

--Prunella

Don't Be Rude, Attribute!

OK, so it's not a perfect rhyme, but I'm too steamed right now to wax poetic anyway. As I imagine I may have mentioned earlier on this blog, I routinely produce a free newsletter. Each issue is prefaced with a copyright notice and a specific request to forward the newsletter in its entirety if people wish to share it.

And yet, I have very often found segments of my newsletter simply cut and pasted and shared with others, WITHOUT ATTRIBUTION, on Listservs/discussion groups to which I belong. With the most recent issue, this has already happened twice (by two individual errant posters). Worse, the moderator does not seem to be posting my polite notes to the group pointing out where the material came from.

I've already written to each of the errant posters. One has already responded and apologized. I should be fair and give the other one much more time to respond before rendering any judgments on that situation.

But really, people, what is so hard about this? DO NOT CUT AND PASTE OTHER PEOPLE'S WORK, ESPECIALLY WITHOUT APPROPRIATE ATTRIBUTION.

It's really very simple. Not to mention ethical. And polite.

--Pru

A Trove of E-mail Peeves

Curly and I are both attuned to the many peeves associated with e-mail. Here's a great post from a publishing professional on the subject, complete with a lengthy comment thread in which readers post about the e-mail traits that most annoy them, too. A feast!

--Prunella Peeve

Fine, Don't Be My Friend

A couple of months ago, I wrote a sincere message to someone I was genuinely sorry to have fallen out of touch with. I invited this person to be my "friend" on one of the big social media sites, adding that I'd be glad to be able to follow news in this person's life/work more closely. This person accepted the invitation, though never wrote a message back.

Today, I saw that my "friend" count on the site had fallen--by one person. It didn't take me long to realize that the one who had "unfriended" me was the same person who'd accepted that honest, well-meaning invitation.

I'm fine with people choosing not to be my friend. I just wish they could be honest from the get-go. Telling me if there's something specific I've done to annoy or antagonize them would also be appreciated. I think it's rude to simply drop people in an obvious, traceable, and yet nondirect way. Like "unfriending" them.

--Prunella

Piqued About Peaked

Yes, Curly and I are so peeve-prone that we still rant away in our own e-mail correspondence. Recently, I used the word "piqued" (as in, "Have I piqued your interest?") in a message to Curly, who responded with a note about how irked she is when she sees "peaked" in "piqued"'s place. To which I say: moi aussi!

--Prunella

Reading for Ranters: 11,002 Things to be Miserable About

Imagine Prunella's interest upon discovering a new book: 11,002 Things to Be Miserable About, by the sibling pair of Lia Romeo and Nick Romeo. Even better, the authors have a Web site, where you can sign up to receive a message about the "miserable thing of the day."

--Prunella

One Reason I Left Full-time Teaching

So it wasn't just my imagination. The maddening sense of entitlement--sheer entitlement to high grades--which so many of my students seemed to bring to my classrooms when I began teaching really was the start of something. Something infinitely more insidious than anything I'd seen among my own undergraduate cohort a decade earlier. I thank The New York Times for exposing "student expectations" as the source of the problem.

--Prunella

On Writing Contests That Are Truly Popularity Contests

I spend a lot of time learning about (and sometimes, even entering) writing contests. There's one kind of contest I just won't enter. I try not to promote this sort of contest to other writers, either (unless there's some really extenuating circumstance). The contest type in question is far less a writing contest than it is a popularity contest.

Such contests award prizes on the basis of electronic "votes" from readers. Trouble is, it's pretty easy to envision people with large and devoted families (and/or Facebook followings) "scripting" their own wins, regardless of the quality of their work.

What do you think of such contests?

--Prunella

Pru Lives!

Just a note of reassurance to anyone who may be wondering if Prunella Peeve is still alive and kicking. Yes, indeed, she is (I am). Seems as though I haven't had a whole lot to gripe about lately, but just give me time!

--Prunella Peeve

A Little Gratitude, Please!

This is a peeve somewhat related to Curly's post here. The new angle is this: When I see that a former classmate, colleague, or teacher has published a book or won a big prize, I'm often moved to write a note congratulating that person. Right away.

But you'd be amazed how often the messages go unanswered, or are answered only after quite a delay. (Or maybe you wouldn't be so amazed. Maybe this is even more common than I realize.)

So here's my message for all those big shots out there: If you're too busy/important to acknowledge little ol' me and my good wishes, you can bet you won't hear from me the next time. (If there is a next time!) So there!

--Prunella

Why the Delay?

A piece of writing I expected to see published at the end of the summer/early fall at the latest (it was written and submitted in June) has yet to see the light of day in print. I've followed up a few times with my editor, but I hate the sense that I'm "nagging." I wish the editor would just let the contributors know what is happening. Why the delay? When can we expect to receive the magazine with our work? Will it happen this calendar year?

--Prunella