When I look at everything I’ve done to get published, I realize that, while my efforts as a whole have been important, one thing has stood out as the make or break characteristic for me – persistence. I say that because I’ve had my fair share of disappointment as a writer. I have submitted and been rejected over and over again. I have been told a story will be accepted once I make the requested edits only to be turned down. There have been days when I wonder why I subject myself to the roller coaster ride that is trying to get my stories published. Naturally, I questioned whether my work was actually good enough to see print; that seems […]
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The 3 P’s of Publishing
Patience, perseverance and preparation are three words that tend to repeat a lot as my personal mantra. They are important to my writing life, my personal life and my work life too. They are a lot more than just words to me. They are the fundamentals to getting published. That may seem like an odd thing to say. After all, isn’t getting published all about writing the best book possible? I don’t deny the best book trumps all else, but if you have written a good book but give up after the first rejection, you will never live to see it published. The same holds true if you aren’t willing to wait for the book to work its way through […]
Read moreDeveloping a Thick Skin
You know that part of the submission process where you send in your work and sit back, fingers and toes crossed, and wait and hope? If you’ve ever submitted your work, chances are pretty good you also know the part where your work comes back with a rejection. All the weeks and months of waiting and hoping come crashing down with the intensity of a kidney punch. You have two ways of dealing with such a blow. You can curl up in the fetal position and swear to never do it again. Sometimes this means you give up on writing completely and sometimes you simply refuse to send your work out again. I call this the “I will never love […]
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