First we must ask, does it have to be a whale?

This made me laugh.

From a publisher’s rejection letter to Herman Melville, on his submission of Moby Dick:

‘First, we must ask, does it have to be a whale?

…For instance, could not the Captain be struggling with a depravity towards young, perhaps voluptuous, maidens? ‘

A Whale, yesterday

More rejection letters sent to notable authors, here

 

To do list…

In between life and death, what is to be done?

black and white photo of brazilian beach

Anyway, I have been thinking about what I want to ‘do before I die’.  And on reflection I have not done too badly so far.

All I can really think of that I would really like to do before I die is:
1) See a blue whale in the wild.
but I will put others here upon reflection.
2) Learn to play Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring in it’s entirety on the guitar – I am about a third of the way there currently.
3) Complete, submit and have a novel published, to some (even small) acclaim.
4) Love and be loved.