A few thoughts on submission guidelines

I have been writing and submitting short stories for many, many years. It is a time consuming  process to find a suitable market, read their guidelines then conform to them. The requirements of editors are quite varied, and some of them are especially picky. Not that I am critical of that, but it can make the task of getting published more difficult. I've lost count of how many rejections I have received, how many times I've read the words 'thank you, but your story is not a good fit for us' (or something like that), and how many editors have simply never responded.

My message to you as a writer is: do not be discouraged. If you love to write, then persevere, and if you have any talent, you will find some rewards; not to mention the satisfaction of pursuing your dream or your hobby, or whatever it is that writing is to you.

Many of my stories which have been published were rejected multiple times. Despite all the submission guidelines hoopla, all you are looking for is an editor who likes your work. It's that simple really. It was the same deal when I completed my second novel, Loathe Your Neighbor, and was looking for a publisher. I wrote 66 query letters, and received nothing but rejections and no responses, until Jeanne Haskin at Artema Press, said yes. Why? Because she liked my work.

As I said, if you are any good at this art form, then for sure there will be people who appreciate what you do. The truth is that you actually don't even have to be that good. You can be pretty good, work hard and get lucky too. Everyone needs a bit of luck to be successful.

Getting back to short story submissions, here's my advice:

• be patient.
• be persistent. 
• pay attention to the guidelines. 
• don't send a story until you are satisfied that it is the best it can be .
• don't take rejection personally. 
• take every little bit of advice offered and mull it over.
• read a lot and read widely. 
• practice, practice, practice. 
• be focused. 
• decide what your writing goals are, and these goals will determine your actions.
• submit to Square Pegs E-zine
• 
  

Photo source for 'I love Writing this much"

http://www.thedutchphdcoach.com/writing/how-do-you-feel-about-writing/

Celebrate the Small Things

Square Pegs has always had two goals: to express myself on any matter I feel so inclined, and to advertise myself and my work. Unabashedly, I say to all that I want more readers. More readers of my blog, and more readers of my works of fiction; both my short stories and my novels. It is very difficult to break through all the competition. I have been attempting for many years to escape the deep, dark forest of anonymity. I've tried numerous methods to increase my exposure, to raise my profile, to become famous.

When a video of ducks crossing a road receives millions of views on You Tube, it causes me both despair and envy. When a poorly written book of unoriginal and unimaginative content sells millions of copies, I feel genuine happiness for the author, but it is tinged once more with despair and envy. Just being honest here.

However, despair and 
envy can be strong motivators, and for me they are. My determination swells like a tsunami, so today I am celebrating one more mustard seed: the advent of Square Pegs E-Zine. The latest and potentially greatest in a long line of grabs for fame. A little e-zine which may produce enormous success.

There are fifty quintillion online short story magazines, so what hope has another of becoming successful? Square Pegs E-Zine is different. Firstly, potential contributors have to join/follow my blog. Secondly, payment for publication is a PDF copy of one of my novels, and finally, submission guidelines are available in a short video. (Ironically, Duotrope refused to list Square Pegs E-zine if it only had video submissions guidelines, so I had to put them in text as well.)

Let's see how this latest attempt to reach the glorious heights of fame and fortune goes. Wish me luck!

Anxious anticipation

With the manuscript for my fourth novel now complete to my satisfaction and ready to send, I have begun the dreaded querying process. There are a number of reasons why I don't look forward to, and I don't enjoy, this period of anxious anticipation, but the least of them is rejection. 

I've been writing for 16 years and I'm still wandering around in the forest of anonymity. I'm used to rejection. I've become very philosophical about it because I believe that I am a good writer. When an editor rejects my work, they are voicing their opinion, and that is all. If they offer some constructive criticism, which is rare, I take it on board, and then I send my work to someone else. If they say nothing, or offer some generic 'thanks, but no thanks', I send my work to someone else. I keep looking for the editor who 'gets' me. The one who reads my writing and says: 'I like this. This is good. This works for me.' I'm looking for that person right now.

No, it's not the rejection that bothers me as such. It's the process. Find a suitable publisher, read their submission guidelines, put together a submissions package to meet their requirements, send it, then wait. There are a few publishers who unfairly do not accept simultaneous submissions, but the majority understand that, given some quite long response times, it is reasonable for writers to reach out to as many publishers as possible, as quickly as possible. The query process is a rolling sales pitch.

It's time consuming, and somewhat annoying due to the diverse submissions criteria of various publishers. I understand why some of them are so exacting. With so many submissions coming in, they have to use whatever means available to sort the wheat from the chaff, and to make it as easy as possible for themselves.

Time consumed by querying, means less time for writing. I'm pretty confident of finding a publisher, but feel no less anxiety as I send each query off on a wing and a prayer. I wonder when. I wonder who. I wonder if this time, I will break free from the prison of obscurity. Wish me luck.