Date: Tue, 24 Sep 1996 21:42:25 +0900 From: mark worthen Subject: FILL: Reintroductions A los que se importara: Hello again to those of you I may know, and new greetings to those who don't know me (or remember me--works out the same, doesn't it?) My name is Mark. My handle is the Cynic. Use whichever is more comfortable. I've been away for quite some time, working and writing. I suppose that sounds redundant, but when I say "working," I mean teaching. When I say "writing," I mean "opening a vein." The latter in reference to a discussion I had with about four of you circa June. Writing for me is neither easy nor pleasant. But there's stuff I have to say, you know? I'm back on the list, and currently living and working in Seoul. I'd say that makes me a Seoul Man, but the pun is used to the point of death. There are a LOT of expats here. All of my friends are fascinating people, whom I could only have met traveling or online. A rare opportunity. I've been writing since 1988--my first professional rejection. I've published a bit, here and there, mostly to small-time publications. Now I'm waiting to hear back from the New Yorker. It's been three months. High hopes. I have a file folder full of rejection letters, but my friends who are farther along tell me that I've got to expand my collection about four times before I can expect to make a *major* sale. So I keep shoveling stuff into the pipeline. Story after story after essay. Science fiction, mystery and crime, and fantasy, primarily, but I write what occurs to me. Should that be a gooey romance sometime next week, fine: writing is writing. I'm two chapters into a novel now. Mystery. It's been two years since I was a member of a writers' group. My last one was in Central Utah, where I'd been living for a number of years. I left when the group and my marriage of ten years splintered at the same time. I'm thirtysomething, wandering, and now having a fairly good time of it all. Born an army brat, I was raised in Virginia, near DC, and disillusioned in Utah. WIth scattered residences in three other states and two other countries. The traveling bug stayed with me after I moved out, and have needed to move around ever since. Although I have a bunch of crap stashed in a storage locker in Salt Lake City, my only home is the ocean. I need to be somewhere near the beach about three times a year, or I start to climb walls. I'm due for my third fix this year, and that will be Thailand. I hope. Again, greetings to all, and talk to you around the list. Woof and Phan (to whom I owe dinner), and everybody else, the invitation stands. Come to Korea, and I'll show you around. Lots to see and do. Later, Mark W. Worthen (aka M. W. Worthen) The Cynic (mworthen@bleu.net.co.kr)