The ESSAY
for September, 2002

AND

A few notes on setting up
"DaveCofell.com"

My dictionary defines a literary essay as a short, personal composition dealing with a single subject. I find that often times I think in essays, which is why I have such a hard time making conversation, and when I do, it’s slow.

However, I’ve always enjoyed reading and writing and I continue to like it even though I don’t seem to be getting around to the great American novel that I’ve been planning on. I enjoy reading a well written essay and it is, in my opinion, one of the finer forms of human communication. It’s a chance to explore one thing from a personal angle with the admonition to keep it short. I have trouble with that last part, I do tend to go on and on, but if I remember to call these “essays” I will probably remember to be concise.

I remember actually enjoying essay questions in school. If I couldn’t write knowledgably on the subject I could usually just write something that SEEMED smart and it really saved my butt a few times. Now I try harder to research anything that I write and usually end-up regretting anything that I don’t at least spend a few hours on. When I take my time and really think about a subject I can usually find something about it that clicks and then I’m into it and it gets hard to stop. Getting started is the problem.

Now that I have a website I have the chance to write a bit with the chance of publishing it myself, and also the opportunity to offer the chance for others to publish their works and for me to act as a heartless brute of an editor and mercilessly tear their work to pieces. So if you send me something, I’ll be doubly thrilled. I may or may not publish it, but I’ll be thrilled, thrilled.

I hope you enjoy these little pieces, and take them as you will. I intend them to be personal, short and hopefully humorous. And that’s all I’m asking from you.

How long is an essay? I guess that I’m going to need to limit this so that I have time for other things. When I look back on what I’ve written so far I see that it seems short and yet it is a few hundred words already. I guess that an essay of a thousand words or so makes for a nice short read and I’ve always been able to develop a thought in that short of composition, so perhaps I’ll limit it to 1500 words, a chance to get a bit into an issue, yet short enough to read in a few minutes time. They don’t have to be that long, but if someone really wants to stretch out (a bit) I think that 1500 is plenty of room. And lots of words for me to look at with glee as I wield the editor’s axe.

Really? Well… I will edit out abusive or libelous language; I don’t intend this to be a place for people to vent their personal vitriol. I want thoughtful exploration of the stated topic, not senseless rants about any old thing. I do understand that sometimes the odd cuss-word helps to emphasize a point, but if I feel the writer is just being crude or merely trying to shock- it’s out.

And if for some strange reason lots of people actually submit essays I may have to start selecting by luck of the draw, or first submitted, first published; or maybe I’ll just play favorites and only publish friends and family, it would be just like me to play favorites. The thing is, I love my family and my work (when I get to it) and I don’t want to have to spend too much time wearing the leather editor’s mask, but I do want to write and read a few meaningful (hopefully) words every month. I can’t afford to hire any staff to do it for me so I’m going to have to set up a few editorial boundaries. So please understand that I don’t omit your work out of any spite, I do it out of expediency.

And now, as I get ready to launch this website I keep finding little things that aren’t done and I see that the essay that I am now writing is just over 750 words long and I’m feeling close to finished. So I’m going to publish this and next month I hope to spend a bit more time on the essay and do a little better at it… I feel that am off to a slow start. There, that was somewhat personal and rather short, I feel that I have said about all I need to say. I hope you read another one soon. Welcome to DaveCofell.com.

• Dave Cofell reserves the right to edit, publish all, part, or none of submissions. If you don't like this policy, please don't submit anything. This means that if you write anything that defames another person or is severely offensive in an objectionable manner, it probably will not make it to the essay page.

• If you are expecting fame and glory from what you write you probably aren't going to find them here.

• All submissions become the property of me, Dave Cofell and I will not pay for submissions, there are other places that might if you are very lucky and punctuate properly.

• All submissions should be made by emailing me at the link at the bottom of this or any of my webpages, please put "Essay" in the subject line.

• Please keep it short, if you can. Please make your point in less than 1500 words.

• Keep it original, no extended quotes or copyrighted material will be published. If you want to recommend a book in your Essay, that's fine. I just don't want to have to republish it. Short quotes are fine.

• No profanity, please. If you can't say it without swearing, then you should say it somewhere else.

• Please submit your essay before the end of the month so I can put them up at the start of the next month

• Please remember that the views expressed are not necessarily mine. I will publish opinions that are in opposition to my own if they are submitted in a thoughtful and comprehendible manner, reserving, of course, the right to edit. I may include short responses, if I receive any, to the previous essays in a small area at the bottom of the next month's.

• Dave Cofell is not responsible for your spelling, syntax and general grammar. If you can't get it right don't look to me to cover for you. For crying out loud, look at mine- it isn't perfect. I ask you to please take enough time to be comprehendible. And don't expect me not to mock you if you really screw up. And when I screw up don't expect me to apologize. I'm just like that. I'm kidding about the mocking thing. Sort of.

• Please include your name with your Essay as you would like it to appear with it, and indicate whether or not you would like your Email address included so people can contact you about it if they wish to. If you do not indicate a preference I will not include the Email address. If you can give me a good reason not to I will also forgo including your name, otherwise I will not publish Essays without a byline.

• Dave Cofell is ultimately responsible for what is published here, and I guess that means if you have a problem with what is here you should write a thoughtful response.

• If this gets to be at all popular with anybody don't be surprised if your submission doesn't make it. I can handle a few but if it gets to be too much I might start to select by lottery or even favor family and friends over people I don't know. It's just the way I am; if you decide to come back to this website you might as well get used to that right now. I'm going to set a limit of 5 Essayists per month for now, just because I happen to like the number. And don't whine at me about how I should have just one more. I can't stand whiners, they make it that much harder for me to get noticed when I whine.

• Submitted essays which are accepted will remain "onscreen" for a maximum of one year. There may be an archive someday in the future, but for now I don't want to eat up all of my room on the server.

• These rules are subject to change without notice, get used to that, too.

  Dave Cofell
  Sept. 7^th, 2002

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