6 posts tagged “writing”

I got my second rejection today. They were quite nice about it, of course. I got an email saying that they didn't have space for the piece. I would like to know if that's a euphemism for "we don't think it's appropriate for this particular issue," or "your writing isn't quite good enough for our publication, keep trying," or "your writing really sucks, don't send us any more." Because I know it's one of the above. I sent it in more than three months before the issue comes out. I wonder how many submissions they get for each issue. I'm going to be irked(to say the least) if I read the issue and feel like my writing is better.

In the meantime, I end up feeling quite discouraged. What will it take for me to get published? How many rejections? Can I deal with it if I keep getting rejected? That is one of my big concerns, honestly. I worry that I will end up feeling like my writing is not good enough. My voice is one in the midst of thousands. I have to be super spectacular. But hey, Stephanie Meyer got published--why can't I? And I read an awful children's book yesterday. I can write better than that! I've got to ignore the rejection and keep on keepin' on.

Sounds like the people downstairs are watching a soap opera! LOL.

So, I'm going to pack up my things for my awesome cruise to the Bahamas. I have my clothes laid out and just have to put them in my suitcase. I am sure I will have at least a thousand emails to read when I get back. We are planning to get a wireless card once or twice during the week, but internet access is too expensive on the ship. I will be taking a million and a half pictures, and I'll be sure to share them when I get back, too!

So, my dad has spring break in a couple of weeks. I'm really the only one free to go traveling with him. Well, now that my cousin has moved in, she could. She's afraid to ride the bus, though, so I doubt she'd make it onto an airplane or a boat. We've been looking at the cruise options as well as possibly going to Berlin. The cruise would be pretty cool, but I'd probably rather go to Berlin, even though it will be chilly. He called tonight and set all of this off. Now, it's 1:30 in the morning and I can't write. I need to whip out a thousand words or so, but I've totally lost the thread of my story. It's gone, whoosh. Mostly when I've been writing, I visualize a scene in my head and then write it. I can't visualize anything but how frakking awesome it would be to go to Berlin.

I guess I'm going to go read for a while, then either go to sleep or come back and do some writing if my head settles down.

My cat has been using my bathtub as a litterbox for a while now. Not that long--maybe a month. I'd rather she goes in the bathtub than on the rug, you know? I have no idea whether it was the difference in litter, the hood on the litterbox we have, or the fact that my brother's crazy cat is seriously territorial with his litterbox. Probably a combination of all of the above. I did get a litterbox and put it in my bathroom when she started doing that in an attempt to get her to go in the litterbox again. No dice. I guess it really was the litter. Prissy cat. Well, I went out earlier this week and got a couple more litterboxes and the usual gravel litter. And lo and behold, she's been using the litterbox again! Thank goodness. We have four litterboxes in the apartment now. It kinda sucks to have to maintain them all, but I would rather do that than have her go in my bathtub again.

We had craziness in my neighborhood last night. A guy shot someone on pretty much the opposite side of town, then led police in a chase to my side of town. He was headed for the mental hospital that's about a block from my apartment. He stayed in his car talking on his phone to the police for three hours and holding a gun to his head. I had to drive the long way 'round to go hang out with a friend of mine. It TOTALLY slipped my mind to pay the rent. Yikes! That's a costly mistake. Thank God that when I went in today, they let it slide because of all the ruckus. Sweet. What a relief--I can't really afford it on my nonexistant freelance writer's salary. I'm considering applying for food stamps, but it would be weird. I'm not in dire straits yet.

On another high note, one of my friends whose opinion I really respect read the piece that I wrote and submitted. She said that she was really interested and kept her interested the whole time. She's more than a little ADD, so that is a HUGE compliment. In my opinion, at least! It's something to keep someone who is easily distracted interested! I would love to share if anyone else wants to read. Maybe I can find another market for it somewhere. It would be a shame for it to go to waste, so to speak.

I just submitted an essay that I wrote for publication, and I want to do a little dance. I feel like I'm lit up, like I'm on fire, like I've had a few cups of coffee! I've submitted a couple of small pieces before, but nothing that I consider a serious attempt, I suppose. I feel like this piece very well could get published. And I would squeal so loud that the neighbors would wonder if I were dying.

I have multiple people who support my writing endeavors. They stroke my writer's ego and tell me that I am good at what I do. I can't see it. I've always had a hard time seeing it. I struggled with writing compositions in my high school English classes. I got a C in one of my freshman English classes during college, I think. Yet I still write and still think I have at least a little talent at it. I just don't think I'm up to par where I would like to be.

Writing is hard. A lot of it comes very easily to me. At the same time, I expect it to come out perfect the first time. When it doesn't, I have a hard time continuing with what I've been working on. I get fed up and move on to another writing project. Maybe part of my euphoria right now is because I finished something. I really hate having unfinished writing projects lying about, so to speak. It adds to my feelings of inadequacy as a writer.

One is a start. Now maybe I can get to work on some other things and hold on to this euphoric feeling. I think I'd even be okay with a rejection email at this point. It means I'm a "real" writer.

I got a job.  It's a job that I'm sure I'll enjoy--I love working with children and youth.  It's a job as a youth counselor at a group home.  It's second shift, which I am not at all enthusiastic about.  I like my evenings at home watching tv.  It also curtails my social life, which is starting to pick up.  The biggest downside to it?  It pays pocket change.  I don't know how people can make it on that kind of salary.  Probably most of the people they employ are still in college and can make it on that kind of salary.  Me, not so much.  I have too much debt.  I am supposed to start training next Monday, October 6th.

My dad called Friday, and there's an opening in his school district.  It sounds like it's tailor-made for me.  Plus, it pays a "normal" amount of money.  I have an interview(but no guarantee of a job, of course) next Tuesday at 2 pm.

The problem?  I have to choose one or the other.  I don't get to do both, unless I lie and say that I have a doctor's appointment or something.  I don't feel comfortable with that.  On top of it, I came home feeling more than a little depressed after having signed my new hire paperwork for the job. 

My instinct is to go to the interview and forget about the job I've got.  It's what I'm qualified for, what I want to do.  It looks like I am going to have to cash out my retirement anyway, so I'd rather wait for a job that I want, not one that doesn't pay my bills. 

Maybe I should buckle down and write the great American novel now!  NaNoWriMo, here I come!  LOL.

I kind of started embarking on a journey this week.  I bought a copy of both Poet's Market and Writer's Market, and I'm going to start submitting some of my work to different literary journals.  I've got my eye on a couple in particular.  It's really important to know your audience before you submit anything. 

I've never submitted any of my work anywhere before.  Well, unless you count my high school's literary journal.  That was a mistake.  I got teased by a couple of the 7 people who actually bought (and read) the thing.  My poem sounded angsty, but it really wasn't. 

So, this is more than a little intimidating to me.  I told my best friend about it, and she said she was worried.  It's the rejection that she's worried about.  I was, too, way back when.  That's why I've never submitted anything.  It's not publication that makes you a writer.  I never felt the need to look outside for validation.  I won't deny that it's nice to have people say they enjoy what you write. 

I doubt that my poetry will pay much, if anything.  But it's a start.  It's a place to figure out how well I can deal with rejection.  In the mean-time, I'll be writing as much as possible and looking for other ways/places to market my writing.

Wish me luck and stay tuned for updates!