(with no apologies to Stephen Sondheim for the homage to the Ladies Who Lunch from Company)

I've lost track of the good writers on OS who have departed because OS had become too much of a distraction from Real Writing. And I don't really want to comment or PM to each writer individually. Suffice it to say, I'll miss your work very much, and I do hope you keep reading -- or eventually, return to writing here.

I do get it. Time is finite. And it's certainly possible to spend Way Too Much Time in this corner of the virtual world. OS is a one-of-a-kind blogging site -- not like Live Journal or Wordpress at all.

It's tempting to call down curses on these flouncing folk, but it's not fair to deny them the respect they deserve. (Floyd, if you're reading this, may the Pandas of Perdition lick your nose for all eternity. For you, I'll make an exception. )

I've been part of writing communities before: the aforementioned Live Journal and the old-fashioned paper kind, an APA (Amateur Press Association). For various reasons, I burned out on them, so I'm wary of committing myself to any blog. I don't think I'll ever flounce, but don't be surprised if there's a long interval between posts. 

My way of dealing with the temptation to obsess is to avoid OS for days or even weeks at a time. One frustrating result is that I don't know who has left since last I read their blogs. (Maybe I should configure a search for the appropriate tags.) I feel a little guilty (okay, Jewish, female, breathing: of course I feel guilty) about not keeping up with my "favorites" and offering them support and criticism (of the writing, not the ideas/person). And I don't like the idea that I'm almost definitely missing some stellar posts.  Everything's a trade-off.

One last thought: This is Real Writing, too, irrespective of ambition-to-be-published-by-someone-other-than-self. I do think some of the work here is eminently publishable. Some of you should check out The Sun magazine (www.thesunmagazine.org) as a venue for personal essays, poetry, and fiction.

You don't have to be published to be a serious writer. Remember, one of the differences between a published writer and an unpublished writer is the tall stack of rejection slips.