Closing for Repairs

Well, this week has been another series of rejections. I’m trying not to let them get me down – one for a novel, two for short stories – but one of those stung a bit more than the rest. Without going into the details, there was a hard limit of 100 submissions allowed, and they were choosing the top ten to move on.

I didn’t make that first cut.

I don’t doubt the legitimacy of that decision, or the quality of the other stories involved, but it does give me pause to wonder if the stories I write are of any merit. To say it was a blow to my ego is an understatement.

And yet, I’m still writing every day. Not a lot, to be sure, no more than 3-500 words a day, but every day for the last 62 days (as of September 6, 2015) has seen something written. Which is to say, I’m not giving up.

What I am doing is taking a break from being so vocal. You all have been wonderful, and these hiatus of mine are always shorter lived than I think they will be, but I’m taking a break. I’ve uninstalled Twitter and Facebook on my phone, and I’m no longer checking them during the day. Not that they were a distraction, but my blathering about on them isn’t productive either.

To reiterate, though:

  • I am still writing
  • I am still sending it out for consideration

I’m just taking a break from relaying the bad news on the blog.