If no news is good news, then what’s news that isn’t good or bad news? (If you don’t know, it’s okay. I don’t either.)
A few weeks ago, I wrote this post about my journey of writing short stories to themed deadlines and subbing them for the heck of it.
Then, last week, I got news back on one of them.
My story got to the final shortlist but didn’t quite make the cut.
😄 😢
So many mixed feelings.
On the one hand, I got so close!
On the other hand, I got so close…but so far.
😄 😢
Having been in the writing world as long as I have, I know this is just part of the experience. When I used to read slush pile for a lit mag, this was my job. Decisions needed to be made. Not every story was going to be published. Some because they still needed work. Others that were great but just not a good fit for the magazine. Pressing the “no thanks” button was never easy, particularly not for the second group. I wanted to suggest some of those stories for acceptance so badly. But as good as they were, they weren’t what we published.
So when I got the “thanks but, ultimately, no thanks” email last week, it was a mixed bag, to be sure. The nice thing is it came with actual feedback, not just a form letter. Again, though, on the flip side, I was able to take that feedback, reread my story, and realize where it applied to think “if I’d just done X before, then maybe.”
Really, though, this is an accomplishment, even if it doesn’t look like one. Again, since I know how these decisions work, I am thrilled someone thought my story was good enough to get that far. It’s also incredibly motivating because I can take the feedback, look at the story through fresh eyes, and rework it to make it even better.
Okay, yes, the fact it didn’t make the cut at the first place is still disappointing. But I’ve started revisions and found my next market to submit to. Onward to glory!
(Speaking of glory, I also published the first in a longer series of blog posts about turning a TTRPG into a novel last week. You can read that one here.)
So, I’d love to say I’m off to continue revisions. But I’ve actually got some work-related TTRPG-ing to get to. (Yes, really.) So, better run. (Get it? Run? Never mind.)
👋 Fair travels,
Mary
P.S. A big thanks to Mohamed_hassan from Pixabay for the image.