Submission hell and a question

How do you submit your stories? 

Submitting is my least favorite part of the writing process.  I love writing, I don’t mind revising, even starting a new story can be fun, but save me from submitting.  I usually do it all at once.  I take one day away from writing for this purpose.  I sit down, write out my introduction letter, go to the websites, check the submission guides, and write my address on the envelopes.  I will stuff everything into a neat little package and head down to the post office.  I shell out the $12.00 or so it takes to send them out.   I whisper “good luck” and run away from the post office as quickly as I can.  Then I sit back and wait for the acceptance letters to come pouring in. 

I did this yucky chore on Saturday night.  Ahead of time I had made a list of the places I was going to submit my story “The Present” to.  That list was 3 pieces of paper long.  I like to do simultaneous submissions, even though I know if I was an editor I wouldn’t accept them for my magazine.  I finished 28 submissions, and I have about a page and a half left to go.  Then I have to start submitting for “The Scrapbook” and “Pam’s Glasses.”  SO MUCH WORK!!!!

But, if you don’t submit, how will you ever get published?    I believe in my work.  I know it’s good enough to get published.  So it’s MY responsibility to get it out there.

One last question: Has anyone out there ever written a story about a current event?  I am thinking about using the Republican nomination as a basis of one of my stories.  It would be the situation, not using any real life people as characters.  (The only people I like to write about are the people in my imagination.)  Depending on how it turns out, this story could look very dated in a couple of months.  I’m thinking I will write it now as I see it in my head.  If I like it, I will revise it at a later date to make its time period more ambiguous.  As I said before, it’s not really about any of the nominees.  I’m hoping I’ll have it up on Wednesday.  Then you can see what I mean. 

2012 Countdown

Stories Published:   -

Stories written:  1

Stories submitted:  29

Stories rejected:  -