_
This from Jim Hines, author of Goblin Quest, etc. You can see the whole poem here.
I am the Very Model of a Modern SF Novelist
I am the very model of a modern SF novelist,
I’ve manuscripts space opera, anime, and fantasist,
I know the kings of fandom and the best flamewars historical
From Andrew Burt to LiveJournal, in order categorical;
I’m very well acquainted too, with matters editorial,
I keep my cover letters brief and never too suctorial,
About rejection etiquette I’m teeming with propriety,
With many cheerful facts about your online notoriety,
I’m very good at worldbuilding and proper use of ansibles;
I know the hyphenated names of beings unpronounceable:
In short, in matters space opera, anime, and fantasist,
I am the very model of a modern SF novelist.
_
Silly man, heh. I see among the bullet points on his website biog. page he includes: Rejections collected since 1995: 500+
Makes my rejection list look silly. Mine can’t be more than 50 or so. :0
I loved that – very clever I though. I shall now be singing Modern Major General to myself for the rest of the day.
it was so cool to read , even for me,i could figure some goblin walking and noding and ready to prepare some tricks… i’ve seen his books in france i believe i might take a look at it next time, from closer…
i can imagine my boyfriend already telling me :’no more books, no more flowers, we don’t have any place anymore’
what do you mean jo about ‘major general’ ?
Gynie, the poem has used the rythym and rhyming patterns of a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta song about the model Major-General. It is from the Pirates of Penzance.
I am the very model of a modern Major-General,
I’ve information vegetable, animal, and mineral,
I know the kings of England, and I quote the fights historical,
From Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical;
I ‘m very well acquainted too with matters mathematical,
I understand equations, both the simple and quadratical,
About binomial theorem I’m teeming with a lot o’ news
With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse.
Thanks for an excellent explanation Glenda. Plus a verse. I don’t know PofP very well, but that song I know. The only operetta I really, really know is the Mikado and I only saw it for the first time last year, but I practically knew the libretto backwards once upon a time.I have seen some of the others but so long ago I don’t remember what they were.