Any Excuse is Better than No Excuse
Editor's Note for Issue 6
The preponderance of the expressions “no excuses” and “inexcusable” imply the existence of acceptable excuses. For what is the purpose of saying “there’s no excuse” for a fault or a misdeed unless there exists some world where a legitimate excuse would solve everything?
Yet “no excuse” is so very common. It must be that inexcusable flaws are more interesting.
In Issue # 6 of The Apostrophe, we will read of hapless grooms (two of them, in very different circumstances) who seek to please; of an alienated lover searching for a reason, no matter how fantastical, that might explain her paramour’s withdrawal; and a frustrated mother coming to terms with an impossible situation. We will also read a young would-be migrant’s yearning to justify a momentous decision.
At their heart, every one of their excuses is a reason: whether justified or unjustified, these reasons and rationales drive action and emotion, which are, after all, the heart of literature.
When we read about a character we want to know not only who that character is, but why. From these excuses spring our interest, our curiosity, our desire to know more.
Issue 6 of The Apostrophe will be published starting on September 1, 2024 - one piece per day, with the full PDF version published on the final day.