Algonquin Literary Circle
I don't think I ever click the submit or send button on a story without regretting it a minute later. Shouldn't I have gone over it one more time? Was that the right place to send it? (big one). Will they take this story when they turned down the last two? Did that ending really work? Didn't I write a story like this six months ago?
WHY DO I BOTHER DOING THIS WHEN I COULD BE READING OR WATCHING MOVIES WHEN I"M NOT AT WORK?
Do you suffer from these regrets and worries too? Do you wish you could pull it back onto the safety of your hard drive? Or can you immediately forget about it and go on with your life?
24 comments:
I am blessed with an attitude of "If you're not going to send it out to be read by someone else, why the heck did you write it in the first place?" Plus, I went to grad school where the professor would tear me a new one if I wrote an essay without sound thinking and organization. I've a thick skin. So, to date, I haven't had any qualms. I'm more concerned with the format of the text rather than the content. But my query letters did cause me heartburn a few times when I'd submit to an agent who had specific required things for which I'd have to adjust my main letter text. Oddly enough, when I wrote my first western short story and sent it to David Cranmer, I was a bit on edge fearing that I didn't quite capture the true western spirit (having only read 4 westerns in my whole life at that point). Plus, via blogging, we've developed an online respect for each other's work. I actually have fewer issues sending my stuff to a person I don't know rather than someone I do. Weird.
My heart races every time I click submit (with the exception of a few places that don't seem likely to reject my work.)
But, then I move on. Writing's fun and all, but the bigger joy for me is having people like what I read. (Starts with acceptance and continues with feedback from readers.)
I pretty much think that once it's off it's off and that 99% of the time I am sick of looking at what ever I have been working on. I figure if they see something that they like, but that needs a little work a good editor will let me know, other wise they will just say 'Sorry not what we are looking for'.
An interesting question raised: are you more nervous sending it to someone you know (if only from previous submissions) or someone you don't know.
Also-I find usually they reject it or accept it. I think only twice was I asked to change things and I happily did.
I'm always a little nervous, but I get over it quickly once the story is gone.
Your point in the comment above is a good one. I do have more trouble sending to someone who has accepted me before. Seems they should get my best work, something better than what they accepted, for showing confidence in me. I'll probably get over that, too.
As usual I see things a bit backwardly and am always afraid I'm letting them down. Also I doubt I am the best judge of what my best work is.
I feel the same way, I always want to pull it back and see if I could have made it better in some way or think I should have sent it somewhere else. But then I tell myself, the most they can do is say no - what have I got to lose? And then it's off to find the next project to work on.
Patti, I'm more with Scott, I think. Why sweat blood writing it if you're not going to send it somewhere. That said, I've had sweaty palms when I've sent a proposal out and wishes it could be more perfect. But we'll never sell anything if all we do is polish, polish, polish. At some point the baby bird needs to leave the nest.
Like it or not, rejection is part of the business whether it's a rejection letter from and editor or agent or a really bad review. A thick skin helps, but it isn't always easy to cultivate one.
I hope this submission is successful for you.
I'm like Clair when it comes to sending out stories, I always have that moment of hesitation right before I hit the send button. It's not out of fear of having other people read what I've written, but more out of whether I think the story is ready or not? And I did regret sending out a story to Thuglit a couple weeks back. Not that it wasn't a good story, but on a re-read of the story, I noticed there were a couple of things I could have done to actually fix the piece that would have made it a much better story.
I used to do this more than I do now. I've gotten pretty good at just clicking the button and thinking, well if it comes back I'll revise it again and resub.
I think part of the problem lies with the paucity of realistic outlets for the stories I write. I sent a story to Thuglit this month too, Keith, but I really wonder if it's thuggy enough. I never multiple submit-I miss being able to do this as you often can with literary outlets. That relieved a lot of anxiety, thinking well, someone will like it.
I questioned my overall thuginess as well, Patti. But Lady D and Todd seem to be taking quieter dark stories lately, so there maybe hope for both of us
I should add that I am sitting on three recently finished stories and only submitted one (which was rejected) and am not sure about submitting the second one. There is a little bit of apprehension on my part about submitting when the last one didn't make the cut. The other story is one that I really don't even know where to submit, as it's not a crime story.
Me too. Three recently finished stories. One, a ghost story, I tried a place that does them that Charles Gramlich recommended. Two, a crime story-tried THUGLIT,
three-I don't know where to send it. Crime but not hard-boiled. In the past I sent these two Demolition and Spinetingler. Now I don't know where. Can't hit the same places too often.
I keep proofing until there are no mistakes to be found and then I proof again. I'm also fortunate that I have some very fine writers who are willing to read my work a third and fourth time and tell me when it's awful. Since you don't see that many of my tales out there you can tell they are doing their job.
That's what I need because my writing group just hears it read aloud to them and you don't pick up much that way. Darn that format! I think my proofing is okay. It's the plots I worry about.
Patti,
You wrote "In the past I sent these two Demolition and Spinetingler. Now I don't know where. Can't hit the same places too often."
Have you ever considered pen names? That'd be the easiest way to write a bunch of stories and submit them to markets.
I send them within a few hours of finishing them. I'm trying to slow down and take my time a bit now.
Writing group... I have a friend and one of his buddies and we meet every other sunday night and read and then talk about each others work. I don't really like reading aloud and I am not that good at it.
What I meant was that Demolition is gone and Spinetingler appears to be issuing less. A pen name. That might work.
Paul-that's my impulse too because I have been over a story 50 times by then. But I still find problems-if only I wait.
Eric-Where do you meet? I hate reading aloud. I had a group that functioned like that. I really liked it.
Spinetingler is backed up close to one year. Sandra and her crew are working hard, but it's tough when everyone is a volunteer. I wish Byron would bring back Demolition, but I get the feeling it is truly dead and gone.
And a Pen name just might do the trick, Patti.
Patti- We meet at the B&N in Ann Arbor.
As far as finding issues with stories, one thing I keep meaning to do is to come back to things that didn't work, or that didn't get out there.
It seems like there needs to be more places for people to get their work out there, the problem as always is money... and I've met a lot of people who want to be writers, but very few that are interested in being editors
I never regret it because I don't do it enough.
But after I have sent the children off I worry over them, traveling alone without me, to protect and defend them. I always wonder too "Have I given them enough strength to make it on their own?"
*Shrug* It is hard to retract that envelope or button push though.
Nice analogy. It is like that--if I remember it correctly.
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