There's a lot of truth to this poster. I should make a copy and put it where I see it every day. Lately, I've been worrying about a lot of little things. Nothing that is going to change my life greatly but things that matter to me, maybe more than I realized until I started worrying. I know better, but things get to you sometimes.
The problem is that,once you start the worry wheel going, it gets harder and harder to stop it. Ever hop on the worry wheel when you don't know why your submissions bounce back to you or are never acknowledged by an editor? If you're a writer, you'll answer in the affirmative. It happens to every writer now and then.
As the poster says, it's a waste of time to worry over the fact that you're not getting published as often as you'd like. Or ever perhaps. It definitely is not going to change unless you get off that worry wheel and start figuring out the why of it.
Take a look at the submissions that haven't made it. Then look at the ones that you have had published (if you've had some). Do you see any differences? Does anything stand out? Try to be objective, and I know how difficult that can be, but try it. Be honest with your assessment. Ask yourself If I were an editor, would I want to publish this?
Ask yourself some other questions:
Is this piece polished enough to be published?
Does it engage the reader right at the beginning?
Would someone want to keep reading?
Did I include lots of sensory details?
Have I used emotion in my writing?
Are there lots of active verbs?
You get the picture. Ask yourself these questions and more. Sometimes we can figure out the reason(s) that a piece did not get accepted. Other times, we can never come up with the answer. It could be somethng as simple as having a great story but choosing the wrong market.
Don't waste your time on the worry wheel. Don't let it mess with your mind and steal your happiness.
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