The Triumph of Hope Over Reason
I have been making some headway with the sequel to 'The Golden Banner', and writing a few short stories as well. The idea is to try to get some stories published both to earn a little bit of cash and some publicity for the novel.
Well, I have had a few rejections and taken them on the chin. I even had a little bit of encouragement in one rejection from a magazine. Rejections come in droves for most writers, so being precious would be stupid.
Nonetheless, one odd thing came of the first few knock-backs. I asked for some feedback and one magazine recommended an online sci fi and fantasy writing forum. I took the advice and went to have a look. The writing there is really, really bad, I mean so bad that to date I have found nothing I could really write an honest review for.
On the one hand I am ridiculously encouraged by the fact that there are so many people out there writing rubbish - is that bad? On the other hand, no-one has bitten my hand off to publish any of my stories yet........ I am in some sort of limbo: I know I can write, but clearly not well enough, or fashionably enough yet to savour the modest success of publication in a sci fi magazine. I am a bit of a loss....... or maybe I'm just deluded.... don't answer that!
Right, this is the last navel-gazing blog for a while........ next time something about writing and not nagging self-doubt.
Well, I have had a few rejections and taken them on the chin. I even had a little bit of encouragement in one rejection from a magazine. Rejections come in droves for most writers, so being precious would be stupid.
Nonetheless, one odd thing came of the first few knock-backs. I asked for some feedback and one magazine recommended an online sci fi and fantasy writing forum. I took the advice and went to have a look. The writing there is really, really bad, I mean so bad that to date I have found nothing I could really write an honest review for.
On the one hand I am ridiculously encouraged by the fact that there are so many people out there writing rubbish - is that bad? On the other hand, no-one has bitten my hand off to publish any of my stories yet........ I am in some sort of limbo: I know I can write, but clearly not well enough, or fashionably enough yet to savour the modest success of publication in a sci fi magazine. I am a bit of a loss....... or maybe I'm just deluded.... don't answer that!
Right, this is the last navel-gazing blog for a while........ next time something about writing and not nagging self-doubt.
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I think that you've hit the nail on the head there, Richard. I have been reading a lot of stories as well, and I think there is a sort of style of the moment, or a set of themes in mode........ and I'm not hitting them. By the same token, I think it's important to be true to ones own style.It is also perfectly true that the sci fi short story market has been shrinking for years, so oddly, there are apparently more folks chasing less chances to be published.
Just writr your own magazine and then you get to choose what goes in.Simples!!
Whichever of the above is, if it's any consolation, I'm not getting anywhere either. :-)