Sunday, October 16, 2016

Looking Back Gives Perspective


 

“Sometimes, you have to look back in order to understand the things that lie ahead.”
Yvonne Woon

My first book was published seventeen years ago. At the time, I was working on a full-time basis, plus writing manuscripts and wondering if I was spinning my wheels, wasting time. The process was frustrating. I spent vast amounts of time writing, researching, targeting publishers and reading interviews of editors in attempts to hone in on the publisher that best fit my manuscript.
Sometimes I became distraught when the turnaround time produced a rejection letter in less than a week. Did an editor even read the manuscript? I wondered more than once. My frustration level grew; then I’d get an encouraging note from an editor rejecting a particular manuscript but asking to see more of my work as I produced it. Hope soared once again.
Today, I’ve gained perspective as if looking backward through time with a telescope. My eyes focus on things that were impossible to notice when I was living the moment, when rejections embraced every manuscript. Rather than remembering the frustration, I look back on the experience fondly. What was frustrating at the time—rejections—whetted my appetite even more to prove I could write a marketable manuscript. Rejections served as inspiration to fuel my creativity and imagination.
The built-up frustration made the first contract all the more sweet. Would I have appreciated THE CALL from an editor as much if I had received it with the first manuscript from the first publishing house I submitted to? Probably not.  
Glancing in my rear view mirror, I see those days as a period in which I grew as a writer. Every rejected manuscript served a purpose to help me learn to become a better writer.
Call for submissions for Young Writers:

Apprehension Magazine. At Apprehension we look for writing that is experimental or modern, and we publish writers in the age range of 14-21. We publish quarterly in December, April and August. We strive to reach out to those who are afraid to submit, and we reach out to those who are on the road to becoming professional and published writers.

Submission Deadlines:


Issue 1: December 5th, 2016

Issue 2: April 5th, 2017

Issue 3: August 1st, 2017 

Submission guidelines at http://www.apprehensionmag.com/

Call for submissions for Adult Writers:

ONE STORY seeks stories "between 3,000 and 8,000 words. They can be any style and on any subject as long as they are good. We are looking for stories that leave readers feeling satisfied and are strong enough to stand alone." Pays: "$500 and 25 contributors copies for First Serial North American rights."  

Submission guidelines at http://www.one-story.com/?page=submit

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