Somewhere in middle age, the number of things that happen as entirely new experiences in a life well lived and travelled tends to decrease radically. Even admitting that, I had an entirely new experience this week. The stars aligned in a particular fashion that I felt were auspicious. So I decided to try something new.
Over the weekend, I rediscovered an old short story I had been working on years ago. I pulled it out, polished it up, and delivered a fresh round of edits to it. I had my beta readers look it over as well. I was convinced it was ready for public consideration.
I did the due diligence on what the best market would be for it. In the course of doing that, I found out that one of my favorite online outlets was doing their annual fantasy fiction open call. I have never been lucky enough to be thinking about this at the time that this event occurs, so I eagerly devoured their submission guidelines and got everything ready and submitted it.
Now let me stop here and say the following: I have never submitted any work of mine anywhere in the pro market before. I have always had some vague notion that maybe someday I would, but never actually did anything about that. In part, I never felt ready before, and in part I was afraid of being rejected. Not sure exactly when part of that equation changed, but it did.
I submitted it on Monday evening. I found this particular outlet's submission system to be top notch and easy to navigate. In short order, my short story was submitted and I was in waiting mode. It took a few days, but last night I was informed via email that my story did not connect with what they were looking for.
I have to admit the following regarding the process. I knew the odds were not in my favor on this. The market research tool I use indicated the reported reject rate was around 97% of all submissions. I did not harbor great hopes that things would go any differently than they did. I know that the professional fiction market is insanely competitive. I was aware that it was unlikely I would be accepted, and yet somehow I had hoped that it would happen anyway.
I found the process as it relates to this particular online outlet to be as open and fair as possible. I found the time from submission to response to be really good. Essentially four days is much better than I had hoped for. I had thought it would take weeks not days to hear anything. The rejection email was kind and polite. Not sure what I was expecting, but what I got from them was not the horror show I was expecting.
Now I sit here pondering the essential nature of the experience. I wrote the best short story I could write on that particular subject given those ideas. It was a piece I felt was good. I felt it was in my top five pieces I have written over the course of my life. Of course none of that mattered. In a slush pile with hundreds if not potentially thousands of entries, it is easy for that to get lost.
The simple truth is that there is a limit of space, resources, and the like. Outlets can only buy so many stories at any given time. It puts them in the position of rejecting otherwise good stories. That is just the truth. The truth doesn't care that I didn't like the outcome. They had to follow their rules and protocols and make the best decision they could for their online magazine.
I don't have to like this, but I do have to accept it. If I wish to pursue becoming a published author, and let me assure you that I do, then I have to get comfortable with the idea that even my best work will get rejected more often than it gets accepted. It is the nature of the beast. Rejection is just par for the course.
I have to find the will to take this kick to the groin, which is on some level how it made me feel, and use it as a form of motivation to push me forward. It needs to become a form of, I will show you, I will come back from this and write better than I ever have before, type of desire. If I can't do that, then I should walk away now.
So I am going to take tonight and allow myself to go through the process of dealing with this. I plan to celebrate some tonight. That may sound odd, but it is in my view what the situation calls for. I did some things this week worthy of celebration. I turned my hobby into a passionate will to produce something new worthy of consideration by the world at large. I managed to take a story of mine, and drive it to a solid completion. I managed to do the legwork of research and find an outlet for it, and then follow through and submit it to them.
For once in the course of focusing on my writing, I pushed through all my obstacles and issues, and put myself and my stuff out there for professional consideration. That alone is worthy of celebration. The fact that I completed the task, and then took the next step is also worthy of celebration. My hobby was transformed from something I dabbled at into a burning professional desire to succeed. In view of that, on some level, the results are secondary.
Yes it did not go my way this time. There will be a next time! I am not giving up. I will continue to write! I will continue to put my stuff out there. I will work my ass off so that in the future my work sees different results when it goes out for submission. Today was a loss, but tomorrow is uncertain. It does not always have to be that way. I plan to make sure that in the future my work stands the best chance of being received positively and warmly. The rest is beyond my control.
So tonight as I heft a glass of an adult beverage and a cigar, let me tell you clearly that I declare this to be a victory. A victory for me, for my process, and for my writing, the end result of this process being without relevance to the future.
I plan to frame the rejection email and use it as all the required motivation to drive me in the future! Each and every day I plan to look at it and remind myself that I have to be better than I was then. I plan to occasionally flip it off and push on deeper into my writing.
To those of you that follow my process, and those that read my stuff, I want to say a heart felt thanks to all of you. Without your steadfast encouragement, I would not have gotten to this particular point in time.
Over the weekend, I rediscovered an old short story I had been working on years ago. I pulled it out, polished it up, and delivered a fresh round of edits to it. I had my beta readers look it over as well. I was convinced it was ready for public consideration.
I did the due diligence on what the best market would be for it. In the course of doing that, I found out that one of my favorite online outlets was doing their annual fantasy fiction open call. I have never been lucky enough to be thinking about this at the time that this event occurs, so I eagerly devoured their submission guidelines and got everything ready and submitted it.
Now let me stop here and say the following: I have never submitted any work of mine anywhere in the pro market before. I have always had some vague notion that maybe someday I would, but never actually did anything about that. In part, I never felt ready before, and in part I was afraid of being rejected. Not sure exactly when part of that equation changed, but it did.
I submitted it on Monday evening. I found this particular outlet's submission system to be top notch and easy to navigate. In short order, my short story was submitted and I was in waiting mode. It took a few days, but last night I was informed via email that my story did not connect with what they were looking for.
I have to admit the following regarding the process. I knew the odds were not in my favor on this. The market research tool I use indicated the reported reject rate was around 97% of all submissions. I did not harbor great hopes that things would go any differently than they did. I know that the professional fiction market is insanely competitive. I was aware that it was unlikely I would be accepted, and yet somehow I had hoped that it would happen anyway.
I found the process as it relates to this particular online outlet to be as open and fair as possible. I found the time from submission to response to be really good. Essentially four days is much better than I had hoped for. I had thought it would take weeks not days to hear anything. The rejection email was kind and polite. Not sure what I was expecting, but what I got from them was not the horror show I was expecting.
Now I sit here pondering the essential nature of the experience. I wrote the best short story I could write on that particular subject given those ideas. It was a piece I felt was good. I felt it was in my top five pieces I have written over the course of my life. Of course none of that mattered. In a slush pile with hundreds if not potentially thousands of entries, it is easy for that to get lost.
The simple truth is that there is a limit of space, resources, and the like. Outlets can only buy so many stories at any given time. It puts them in the position of rejecting otherwise good stories. That is just the truth. The truth doesn't care that I didn't like the outcome. They had to follow their rules and protocols and make the best decision they could for their online magazine.
I don't have to like this, but I do have to accept it. If I wish to pursue becoming a published author, and let me assure you that I do, then I have to get comfortable with the idea that even my best work will get rejected more often than it gets accepted. It is the nature of the beast. Rejection is just par for the course.
I have to find the will to take this kick to the groin, which is on some level how it made me feel, and use it as a form of motivation to push me forward. It needs to become a form of, I will show you, I will come back from this and write better than I ever have before, type of desire. If I can't do that, then I should walk away now.
So I am going to take tonight and allow myself to go through the process of dealing with this. I plan to celebrate some tonight. That may sound odd, but it is in my view what the situation calls for. I did some things this week worthy of celebration. I turned my hobby into a passionate will to produce something new worthy of consideration by the world at large. I managed to take a story of mine, and drive it to a solid completion. I managed to do the legwork of research and find an outlet for it, and then follow through and submit it to them.
For once in the course of focusing on my writing, I pushed through all my obstacles and issues, and put myself and my stuff out there for professional consideration. That alone is worthy of celebration. The fact that I completed the task, and then took the next step is also worthy of celebration. My hobby was transformed from something I dabbled at into a burning professional desire to succeed. In view of that, on some level, the results are secondary.
Yes it did not go my way this time. There will be a next time! I am not giving up. I will continue to write! I will continue to put my stuff out there. I will work my ass off so that in the future my work sees different results when it goes out for submission. Today was a loss, but tomorrow is uncertain. It does not always have to be that way. I plan to make sure that in the future my work stands the best chance of being received positively and warmly. The rest is beyond my control.
So tonight as I heft a glass of an adult beverage and a cigar, let me tell you clearly that I declare this to be a victory. A victory for me, for my process, and for my writing, the end result of this process being without relevance to the future.
I plan to frame the rejection email and use it as all the required motivation to drive me in the future! Each and every day I plan to look at it and remind myself that I have to be better than I was then. I plan to occasionally flip it off and push on deeper into my writing.
To those of you that follow my process, and those that read my stuff, I want to say a heart felt thanks to all of you. Without your steadfast encouragement, I would not have gotten to this particular point in time.