Rejected (but not dejected)

Though I've been writing pretty seriously for a good many years (since elementary school), I haven't exactly done much on the "trying to get published" front. In the seventeen or so years I have theoretically been working on getting published, I've submitted fiction a grand total of... two... times. Yes, that's absolutely shameful. I am sorry. If only you could see my head hung pitifully right now.

I submitted a piece called "Todo Estará Bien" about a year and a half ago, to Glimmer Train's Short Story Award for New Writer's contest. I didn't win, but I did make it into their Top 25. I'd have to call that story (which started life titled Conversations With My Grandmother) my strongest. I've made a few small revisions to it since then, and trust me, it will keep going out for publication in the future.

I submitted a second piece just a month or two ago, also to Glimmer Train. I submitted this one to their open call for submissions (not a contest, so there's no ranking, and they only accept one/pay one person. And the payment is approximately what they pay the 3rd place story for one of their contests). I heard back, and they won't be publishing it. Honestly, it's what I expected (they get over 4,000 submissions a year, and it's probably a few thousand over that now, since they've added new categories and such). The piece was titled "Requited". And after I got it back, I thought about it some (I'd consider it my second-strongest short story at present). I think I can make it a lot stronger. And I can do this by changing the ending. Not entirely, but I can make it hit a little harder by adding just a bit. Really, all it takes is cutting most of the last paragraph and adding another 2 or 3 more.

So, that's what I'll be doing tonight, while it's still fresh in my mind. It won't be a late night, as I have somewhere to be in the morning. Last night was a late one. I was up until after 3 a.m., working on some research so I can plot my third novel. Over 8 hours of reasearch in one night. No, the second one isn't finished yet. I'll most likely be working on that one until sometime in July. And I'll certainly post when I do finish it. And once I have any sort of income at all (and am not having to pay more in bills than comes in during the month), I will be submitting to other places. Sadly, almost everyone requires a reading fee. And I just don't have it. But come August, I promise, that will change.