by 2020 Humor Second Prize Winner Cadence Mandybura
Where this story falters is in its abundance: it feels like a piling-on of the ridiculous, grotesque, petty, and, frankly, racist.
Write what you know, they say. And what does every writer know? Rejection. And, if you're lucky, constructive feedback from editors.
For many of us, it's been hard to look away from the ongoing reality show of U.S. politics over the last few years. My humorous piece, "Notes from the Editors on Orange is the Darkest Color," has a simple premise: what if the all-too-real story of the 45th President of the United States were the plot of a novel submitted for publication? It's too unbelievable for the editors of Ersatz Press, I'm afraid, although they do have some useful feedback for the author.
The world has already changed since I first wrote the piece. We can only hope the author of Orange is the Darkest Color takes some of the editorial feedback to heart in revising the manuscript.
Read the full piece in Bacopa Literary Review 2020. I hope you enjoy my writing; you can learn more about me at www.cadencemandybura.com and on Twitter @cade_bura.
