Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

She Let Me Know What She Didn't Want

She told me that she was "not interested in O. Henry stories."

Judith Moore remains an enigma to me.

When first asked to write for the Reader, I was instructed to run everything by Judith. Who was this lady? Why did she live in Berkeley if she edited a San Diego paper?

Sponsored
Sponsored

I no longer remember the first piece I wrote for the Reader, but I still remember the first time I spoke to Judith. Her aloof tone made me feel like a fool. I like to know the people I work with, but Judith projected a barrier not to be crossed. I wanted to ask her about herself, but I didn't dare. I also wanted to be published and improve my skills. Judith helped me by letting me know what she didn't want.

She never told me my introductions were unnecessary. She just slashed them. If I had an idea for a story that didn't work, she said, "That's not what we're looking for," and it was over.

I made the mistake of testing her once. Someone approached me with information about a corrupt doctor. I e-mailed the idea to her. She responded with "That's a good way to get sued." I tried to go over her head by e-mailing the editor-in-chief and in five minutes found my e-mail returned by her, reiterating that I should leave the story alone. I was convinced that she would stop sending me work. I was wrong.

But she didn't give me much advice either. Once, when I had a story idea that was loaded with irony, she told me that she was "not interested in O. Henry stories." She made me feel foolish so often I could have hated her, but I knew she didn't hold her position on the strength of her pithy comebacks. Talent deserves respect. Still, I communicated with her only when necessary. I finally saw another side when I sent her a sincere compliment on a piece she had written about poet Edna St. Vincent Millay. She e-mailed me her thanks. Then she called. She was warm and appreciative. I was even more confused.

When she died, many of my writing peers expressed a great sense of loss, so I was determined to learn more about her. I read her memoir Fat Girl. It was sad to know how much she suffered. I had a fat period as a preteen that still haunts me, so I empathized -- but it was too late. Judith was a talented writer and editor. She knew what she was looking for. For some, she was a mentor. For me, she was a boss, and I regret that I never got to know her better. Of those who knew her as a mentor, I remain jealous.

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Bait and Switch at San Diego Symphony

Concentric contemporary dims Dvorak

Judith Moore remains an enigma to me.

When first asked to write for the Reader, I was instructed to run everything by Judith. Who was this lady? Why did she live in Berkeley if she edited a San Diego paper?

Sponsored
Sponsored

I no longer remember the first piece I wrote for the Reader, but I still remember the first time I spoke to Judith. Her aloof tone made me feel like a fool. I like to know the people I work with, but Judith projected a barrier not to be crossed. I wanted to ask her about herself, but I didn't dare. I also wanted to be published and improve my skills. Judith helped me by letting me know what she didn't want.

She never told me my introductions were unnecessary. She just slashed them. If I had an idea for a story that didn't work, she said, "That's not what we're looking for," and it was over.

I made the mistake of testing her once. Someone approached me with information about a corrupt doctor. I e-mailed the idea to her. She responded with "That's a good way to get sued." I tried to go over her head by e-mailing the editor-in-chief and in five minutes found my e-mail returned by her, reiterating that I should leave the story alone. I was convinced that she would stop sending me work. I was wrong.

But she didn't give me much advice either. Once, when I had a story idea that was loaded with irony, she told me that she was "not interested in O. Henry stories." She made me feel foolish so often I could have hated her, but I knew she didn't hold her position on the strength of her pithy comebacks. Talent deserves respect. Still, I communicated with her only when necessary. I finally saw another side when I sent her a sincere compliment on a piece she had written about poet Edna St. Vincent Millay. She e-mailed me her thanks. Then she called. She was warm and appreciative. I was even more confused.

When she died, many of my writing peers expressed a great sense of loss, so I was determined to learn more about her. I read her memoir Fat Girl. It was sad to know how much she suffered. I had a fat period as a preteen that still haunts me, so I empathized -- but it was too late. Judith was a talented writer and editor. She knew what she was looking for. For some, she was a mentor. For me, she was a boss, and I regret that I never got to know her better. Of those who knew her as a mentor, I remain jealous.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Last plane out of Seoul, 1950

Memories of a daring escape at the start of a war
Next Article

Bait and Switch at San Diego Symphony

Concentric contemporary dims Dvorak
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader