Submitting a Story This Weekend

I am now finished with the revisions on the short story. It’s not everything it could be, but considering the space allotted and my inexperience writing short stories, I like what I came up with. I’m rather fond of the scene leading up to the final page or so, and it was my favorite to write. I think it has a decent chance.

That’s not the point, though. The point is that I’m nervous as all hell. I have to write the synopsis, the submission e-mail, and the worst of everything: my marketing plan. I don’t know how the hell I can help market this thing. The last time I had to do that, I failed miserably because I had a health issue (which turned out to be nothing) and did NO promotion whatsoever.

I don’t plan to do that again, but it’s not like I know what to do to get the word out there. I’ll make something up and try to stick to it. I managed the last time.

There is, of course, always a huge chance that I will be denied, that my submission is either not good enough or not what they are looking for. I’m prepared for that. If it happens, no biggie. I’ll be upset, yes, but I won’t be crushed. It’s something I have survived in the past and will get through again.

In the meantime, I am working on a novella. Since it’s light years from being ready to submit, I don’t have to worry about that yet. But there are other stirrings in my head. The wolves are calling. The super heroes I had planned to write don’t care anymore and aren’t answering my calls. I’m sure they will be around when and if I need them. The smokestacks and trains and columns of steam are calling to me from a city isolated by disease in a steampunk world.And there’s more.

All that means one thing: this short story did exactly what I needed it to.

I wanted it to be the stepping stone. I wanted it to launch me forward, to excite me to write more and more. And it has done that. So, even if the submission editor looks at this submission and laughs herself until she pees and has a profoundly debilitating stroke, I have done exactly what I need to.

I have revitalized my desire to write. And write I shall.

In fact, I’m cutting this normal babble-fest a tiny bit short tonight, because I want to go write some more. Tomorrow I will write out all the submission stuff. But for now, I’m going to celebrate this achievement by continuing with the next.

Wish me luck on both!