Pen to Paper
After a long break, I have finally started to write again. Since beginning this journey, I had become obsessed with the idea of being published, so I wrote then submitted, wrote and then submitted. And what followed was a several rejection kicks to the gut, leaving me winded and deflated.
So, just like with many other times in my life, I found myself at a crossroads: do I continue, or do I stop?
It was then that I calmly considered the possible reasons for my rejections. Firstly, I was churning out stories rather than taking the time to edit them properly — stories that aren’t ready to be published won’t be published. Secondly, sometimes a story needs to find the right home because not every magazine or anthology is the right place for your story.
So I took a break from submitting and focused on editing my stories. However, I still wanted to know if I was a good enough writer, so even though I was vulnerable, I uploaded my story ‘Cake for a Neighbour’ to Shortbread stories. (Note: Shortbread Stories’ website is being redeveloped.)
I wanted the feedback and prepared myself for the negatives that I assumed would follow. But, to my surprise, people liked it, not hundreds of people just a handful, but even that was enough to give me a little confidence boost. Of course, I had some feedback: my grammar was off, and I mixed up ‘drawer’ for ‘draw’, but people enjoyed the story.
However, even with the positive feedback, I slowly turned my back on writing. So when the New Year came I told myself, ‘Nicole, you’ve got stories to share with people, so you must share them.’ And with the little reminder that people do like what I have written, I have returned my pen to paper, and slowly a story unfolds. This may be my best story to date, but only time will tell.
That’s all I have for you for today.
Stay spooky, folks!
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