For me, story submissions of any kind feels like getting in line for one of those theme park free-fall rides where you sit on the little bicycle seat, get strapped in like a baby in a carseat and then get dropped seven stories. You're a little excited, you're pretty scared, and you know it's going to probably hurt.
A lot.
Yeeeaah, at a time like this I always just want somebody to hold my hand and ride with me :-(
Seriously, rejection sucks. There's a part of me that would almost rather just not know that my writing is no good and nobody is interested. I'd almost rather just blissfully think I've got a shot at this whole writing business.
Almost. Fortunately, the desire to actually succeed is stronger than that head-in-the-sand mentality.
On a slightly different note, does anybody else feel that disorienting mental split when they read their own stuff? Half of me is like THIS IS GENIUS! and the other half is like Nobody in their right mind will want this stuff. It's AWFUL.
Hopefully, the reality is somewhere in the middle between those two. Or, hey, I'd settle for the former... :-)
AUTHOR OF FANTASY, SCI FI, AND YOUNG ADULT FICTION
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
The Good Thing About Short Stories
The good thing about short stories?
I can totally surrender to the plot bunnies!!
If you aren't familiar with the term, "plot bunnies" generally refers to those pesky ideas that multiple like rabbits in your brain while you're diligently (trying to) chipping away at your 100k word novel. Plot bunnies for me are like shiny objects are for my cat. Unbelievably distracting.
The beauty of a short story is just that. It's short. So while I'm writing short story 1, I can pop over to a new word document and jot down a few paragraphs for short story 2, 3, and 4 without experiencing the spasms of guilt that usually accompany such actions when I'm writing a novel. Heck, I might even finish story 2 right then and there before I've returned to story 1.
It's refreshing.
I'm enjoying my creative break. I'm not NOT writing, I'm just doing something else. And the plot bunnies are going crazy.
Anybody else struggle with plot bunnies?
I can totally surrender to the plot bunnies!!
If you aren't familiar with the term, "plot bunnies" generally refers to those pesky ideas that multiple like rabbits in your brain while you're diligently (trying to) chipping away at your 100k word novel. Plot bunnies for me are like shiny objects are for my cat. Unbelievably distracting.
The beauty of a short story is just that. It's short. So while I'm writing short story 1, I can pop over to a new word document and jot down a few paragraphs for short story 2, 3, and 4 without experiencing the spasms of guilt that usually accompany such actions when I'm writing a novel. Heck, I might even finish story 2 right then and there before I've returned to story 1.
It's refreshing.
I'm enjoying my creative break. I'm not NOT writing, I'm just doing something else. And the plot bunnies are going crazy.
Anybody else struggle with plot bunnies?
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