Maybe the something this poster mentions is wonderful because it's unexpected. Don't we all love surprises? Isn't it fun when you pull the envelopes from your mailbox and find one that is not a bill, not a piece of junk mail, or not an advertising circular? Maybe it's an envelope holding a letter from a friend, one who passes on email and still sends you snail mail letters. I love getting those hand-written letters.
How about when an email pops into your inbox from an editor telling you he/she is going to publish the story you sent months earlier? That never fails to please me. A writer friend decided to try to write a Chicken Soup story for a particular book. She asked me for some thoughts and then I critiqued the story for her. My last piece of advice to her was send it in and then forget about it. It could be many months before you hear from them, or you may not hear at all. Move on to new projects.
Her story is a good one and I have high hopes of it getting into the final cut stage and then into the book. If it happens, it will be that something wonderful for her.
When that something wonderful does occur in our writing world, it helps to diminish the hurt and frustration of the times when we were rejected, or ignored.
One thing to keep in mind is that something wonderful cannot happen unless you keep sending your work to editors. Not once or twice a year--keep the ferris wheel moving at all times. The more you submit, the greater your chances of publication.
Great advice. I never give up. Submitting stories is like flexing muscles. The more you do it, the stronger you become.
ReplyDeleteGreat analogy. Thanks for the comment.
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