Do Not Let This Discourage You

Received my notification of not winning from WotF yesterday. I actually grinned, because it's the first rejection letter I've gotten in a while. Which means I sent something out! Whee! I submitted!

I have no intention of being discouraged, either. I'm very oddly not even close to discouraged. I have no doubts, none whatsoever, that this little story will be published. It is just a question of finding an editor who likes it. That's it. It's a well written story, with a strong protagonist, a theme, a plot, a conflict, a little bit of action, and lots of fish.

Okay, the fish part isn't so important overall, but you get the idea.

I'm not being immodest, I'm being honest. I'm a decent writer. At times, I'm a very good writer. So it isn't a question of being a good writer. It's just a matter of finding that fit with an editor.

It's the crap shoot everyone talks about, only I don't think it's just luck. I think it's closer to serendipity. You got to be looking to begin with.

Or maybe it's a fox hunt. And I'm on this wonderful hunter, where my best riding habit, and the hounds are my stories, baying as they run ahead of me, trying to flush out that foxy editor . . .

I've taken that analogy as far as I think I should.

The point is, I've been reading all these contests lately online, the ones where you post your first 100 or 500 words, and the stories I like aren't the ones being picked by the judges. Doesn't mean the ones I like aren't good. They have been awesome! They just aren't the ones the judge thought were awesome.

Somewhere out there, though, is a judge, or editor, who would find those entries awesome. And who will find my story awesome as well. I just have to send the story out until it finds that person.

I'm liking this mindset. I got nothing but time and during that time, I'll keep improving my writing skills and sending more stories out and within that time, I'll publish. End of story.

Or rather, beginning of story.