Wednesday, December 6, 2017

IWSG - What Would You Change?

It's the last first Wednesday of 2017, which means this is the last Insecure Writer's Support Group of 2017! Are you guys ready for a new year? I'm not.


The IWSG was created by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Every month, writers post about their deepest writing insecurities and visit others' blogs to offer their support. Anyone can sign up by going to Alex's website and adding their blog to the linky list.

This month, I'm one of the co-hosts! Please be sure to visit my awesome and talented fellow co-hosts: Fundy Blue, Heather M. Gardner, and Julie Flanders.

This month's optional question is: As you look back on 2017, with all its successes/failures, if you could backtrack, what would you do differently?

I think I would have started working on self-publishing a collection of my short stories earlier, and I would have started work on the short story craft book I'm working on earlier, as well. Then again, I wasn't ready before, and it will happen all in good time. I'm tapering off on the insane amounts of research I've been doing in order to make everything go okay, and getting to the nitty gritty of compiling and formatting everything. Soon!

Every month, I do a recap of my submissions for the previous month for accountability. In November, I:

Submitted 9 short stories
Got 7 rejections
Got 0 acceptances
Sent 5 novel queries
Got 2 agent rejections

I currently have 17 short story submissions out. I suspect two of those publications have gone under, but they haven't made an announcement, and their sites are still up, but they haven't sent any rejections/acceptances in months, so I've submitted the stories I had out to them to other publications that take simultaneous submissions, and I've queried those two publications, but they haven't responded. Next step is to send an official withdrawal of my stories, but I may wait until after the new year (or until those stories are accepted, if that's sooner.)

Next up, links. Bear in mind I'm not endorsing these, merely passing them along. Always do your own due diligence when submitting to markets.

Accepting Submissions:

Carte Blanche is seeking all forms of narrative, including poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and photo essays. Up to 3500 words. Pays a modest honorarium. Deadline December 31.

Martinus Publishing is seeking short stories for Forbidden: Tales of Repression, Restriction, and Rebellion. 1500 to 10,000 words. Pays royalties. Deadline December 31.

Workers Write! is seeking short stories set in a cafe or dealing with the food industry. 500 to 5000 words. Pays $5 to $50. Deadline December 31.

Allegory is seeking speculative short fiction. Prefer 500 to 5000 words, but don't have a hard and fast limit. Pays $15. Deadline December 31.

Lethe Press is seeking speculative short fiction for an anthology. 4000 to 14,000 words. Pays $.05/word. Deadline December 31.

Dreaming Robot Press is seeking fantasy short stories that will appeal to middle grade readers (8-12). 3000 to 6000 words. Pays $.06/word. Deadline December 31.

Zombies Need Brains is seeking fantasy and science fiction short stories for three anthologies: The Razor's Edge, Guilds & Glaives, and Second Round: A Return to the Urbar. Up to 750 words. Pays $.01/word + royalties. Deadline December 31.

Hydra is seeking sword and sorcery short stories for the anthology Unsheathed. 7500 to 10,000 words. Pays $30. Deadline December 31.

Stephen Jones is seeking your best horror stories published in 2017 for Best New Horror Volume 29. No idea if it pays, but having your story appear in this would be huge. Deadline December 31.

Smoking Pen Press is seeking romance short stories for the anthology A Wink and a Smile. 1000 to 7000 words. Pays $25. Deadline January 1.

What are your insecurities? Would you change anything about this past year? Have you been submitting? Any of these links of interest? Anything to share?

May you find your Muse.


59 comments:

Julie Flanders said...

I always admire how active you are with your submissions. I've only submitted one thing all year and it's due to nothing but laziness and procrastination on my part. Sorry about those rejections but kudos to you for keeping on going with getting your work out there.

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

I think this line is so important - "Then again, I wasn't ready before, and it will happen all in good time." Great point!

You are a machine with getting your work out into the world. Good luck with all the things you have out on submission!

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

Best of luck to you, Shannon. I know how daunting it can feel. The year probably unfolded just as it was suppose to. I keep telling myself that. LOL

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Some things have to happen when they are ready.
Bummer a couple publications may be going under.
Thanks for co-hosting today!

Tamara Narayan said...

I'm querying a novel. I do have several short stories I would love to submit, but they were previously published in a now defunct e-magazine. I might have to self-publish them.

Jennifer Lane said...

My books tend to be long so I admire short story writers. And I also admire you for sending your work out into the world--keep trucking!

Unknown said...

Good luck on the stories you have out. That's an impressive number!

Karen Baldwin said...

Your tenacity is inspiring. Me? I'd Crazy Glue my butt to my office chair. I get way too distracted. (it's called insecure, Leigh)

The Cynical Sailor said...

Thanks so much for co-hosting! I'm always impressed looking at your stats each month and at how much you accomplish and how many submissions you have in progress. Cheers - Ellen

Chemist Ken said...

Sounds like you've been pretty busy. I guess we all wished we would have tried something earlier than we did, but that's hindsight.

Thanks for co-hosting this month!

Christine Rains said...

Wow! You're getting a lot done. I need to pick up my short story game next year. Thanks for co-hosting this month and good luck. :)

Lynn La Vita said...

I'm not up to your level, but what insight to the marketing side of this business. Your post clearly outlines the need for inner drive, determination, and not to let others detour your goals. Thank you for co-hosting the Dec IWSG blog hop.

Computer Tutor said...

Good grief you get a lot in a post! How do you do so many submittals in one month? I'm in awe of your warrior muse.

Joey Lynn Resciniti said...

That's a really productive November! Way to go!

I wouldn't change a thing. There's plenty I could have done differently, but it all seems like it's working out well enough. I'm hoping by the end of the month I'll even be able to accept that another year is over! All the best to you in 2018!

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Self-publishing takes a lot of research, more than most writers put into it. It's better that you know you weren't ready then.

Cherie Reich said...

That's a good point about not being quite ready to work on something. It's easy to forget that sometimes waiting to work on a project will make it all the better in the end. Good luck with your submissions!

cleemckenzie said...

And here I was patting myself on the back at subbing three short stories! You are amazing at nine!!!!

kjmckendry said...

Wow! Good for you! I was really hoping to finish my story for the IWSG contest but it just didn't happen. Some of those links look great! Thanks for co-hosting!

Chrys Fey said...

You can only really do something when you're ready and it's ready. I learned that this year, too. :)

Pat Garcia said...

You have been an inspiration for me throughout the year. I started submitting around the middle of last year and haven't regretted since.
Thank you for being a co-host.
Wishing you all the best and a successful crossover into 2018.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat G @ EverythingMustChange

S.A. Larsenッ said...

I like your attitude about things happening in good time. That’s very true and comforting. So proud you’re doing you’re own book on craft. Have a wonderful new year! (& no, I’m not ready for it either.)

Liesbet said...

No article submissions in 2017 for me, as life was very busy and I tried to focus on blogging and my memoir, among other things. All my articles that were still "pending" have been published, so I am looking forward to more time in 2018, meaning more article writing and submitting (and, hopefully, money). :-) Thanks for co-hosting this month!!

S.E. White Books said...

Thanks for co-hosting! And for your great rundown on submissions, it's nice to see specific numbers and it takes guts to put it out there like that. We're all out here getting rejected together, which is comforting in a weird way.

Nick Wilford said...

The collection will come together just fine. You always seem to get such a lot done. Congrats on ploughing on with those submissions. I need to do a lot more. The link with the cafe theme is fortuitous. I just submitted to another contest with the same theme, so now the story has another option!

Tyrean Martinson said...

Best wishes on your collection! I admire your strength of attitude with your submissions. I get cranky sometimes when I don't hear back for months and months, but there are those rare moments when instead of going under, a magazine gets back to a writer just a little later than expected. :)
Happy Holidays!

Beverly Stowe McClure said...

Thank you for co-hosting today and for the list of publishers accepting submissions. Good luck with your writing. When one of my stories isn't accepted I think that was just not the right place and try again.

Pat Hatt said...

Starting earlier seems to be a constant theme. But would have to forgo something else, have to keep on keeping on though.

Anonymous said...

Kudos on your very busy November. What a great way to keep yourself accountable. And all things considered, you can't start any sooner than today. Thanks for co-hosting today.

Arlee Bird said...

There you go impressing me with your productivity again. Can you please bottle that formula for getting things done and send me a bottle so I can take a big swig.

Lee
Tossing It Out

Anonymous said...

Thank you for co-hosting. I admire your courage and dedication on your submissions. That rocks! You're amazing!

Elsie

Diane Burton said...

First, thanks for co-hosting, Shannon. When you say you wish you'd started some things sooner. But you did when you were ready. That's the key. You have to be ready to tackle some things, esp. self-publishing. It's not easy, but it is rewarding. Wishing you all the best in 2018.

Adrienne Reiter said...

Thank you for the line up of info and for sharing. I'm good at creating work, but horrible at submitting. Bukowski did say submission is a writer's full time job. I wish I did more of it this year. Your rock for co-hosting on this 2017 wrap up month. I can't believe it's December!

Gwen Gardner said...

You've gotten a lot done. You know what they say about "No wine before its time." You started when you were ready. Sounds like a good plan to me.

Happy Holidays, Shannon!

Toi Thomas said...

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog. You are always such an inspiration with your accountablity updates. I also appreciate the link list you offer. I wish you all the best in the new year as you continue to move forward.

Fundy Blue said...

Hi, Shannon! Thanks for co-hosting today. I hope that it has been a fun experience for you. I'm in awe of your productivity ~ Way to go. Happy holidays and happy writing in December!

Karen Lynn said...

Good luck with your querying. I'm not back in the trenches, yet, but I'm planning on finishing my revision and querying in the new year.

Roland Clarke said...

Thanks for co-hosting, Shannon, and for visiting my IWSG post. I have shorts that are gathering dust and your post reminds me to do something with them - many thanks.

Lidy said...

Thanks for co-hosting today! I hate the waiting game when submitting. I’d love it if were like instant oatmeal. You send something out and they reply back with an acceptance or rejection in a minute and a half. Of course the downside would be how well did they read and mull over your submission before they made their decision. Good luck with the rest of your submissions and Happy Holidays!

Olga Godim said...

17 short stories on submission - wow! The number is staggering.
Thanks for co-hosting this month, Shannon, and as always, thanks for the links. I often end up submitting to one of the links you post.

dolorah said...

Wow, 17 short stories. Good luck with acceptance.

Dang, those are really short deadlines.

James Pailly said...

I haven't even thought about this, but I haven't submitted anything in the last year. I've been so caught up in this one project I haven't let myself have time for anything else. Looking back on 2017 now, I think I made a mistake there.

Jennifer Hawes said...

I think my biggest insecurity is writing short stories. Seriously. I envy people who do this well. I'm not an overly wordy author, but I just don't get how to write in so few words. Hope you have a wonderful new year!

Victoria Marie Lees said...

Bravo on your submissions. That's half the battle. For me, I need to be brave and send out my short stories. I obsess too much. I need to let them go. To take my chances. It's always a no, if I never send something out. My children say I overthink everything. Yes I do. I just don't know how to stop it. Any suggestions?

Happy Holidays, my dear!

diedre Knight said...

Hi Shannon!
Oh, but isn't research fascinating? It can be distracting as well, I know I've a tendency to wander off track ;-)
Thanks so much for all the fabulous tips! It's really something that you inspire so many to try to be as productive as you are. Submissions is a key word for me next year - thanks to you!

C.D. Gallant-King said...

Hey, I thought I was doing well with my handful of submissions this year, but now I feel insecure compared to your literary onslaught! :-)

Samantha Bryant said...

Congrats on putting yourself out there so much! And thanks for the list of places to consider for my own work. You rock! @mirymom1 from
Balancing Act

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

Wow, you have a lot going on. Good luck with all those submissions.

Caitlin Coppola said...

Love that you post your stats! Just proves how motivated you are. Good luck!

Juneta key said...

Wow, I am always impressed with your productivity. Good luck and Happy Holidays.

Dihiwi said...

Catching up on my Dec. post. Thank you for your commitment to IWSG. It's very much appreciated! http://www.dianeweidenbenner.com/iwsg-end-of-year-musings/

Rebecca M. Douglass said...

As always, I'm in awe of your diligence in submitting stories and keeping up with it all! Thanks for hosting this month :)

Lisa said...

Thanks for the links! You are so brave to keep track of your submissions/responses like that. Good thing to do I think. Thanks for co-hosting!

Renee Scattergood said...

Wow! You've accomplished a lot more than me this year. I only wrote 2 short stories and finished 1 episode in my Shadow Stalker serial. I really need to get myself in gear! :-D Have a great new year!

Patsy said...

Like you, I half wish I'd started things earlier, but also acknowledge I may not have been ready.

John Wiswell said...

Heck yeah on sending out all those novel queries! Good luck on a bite.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Shannon - as the others say - you certainly achieve a lot each month ... and the links must be so helpful to others - congratulations all round - cheers Hilary

Loni Townsend said...

Thanks for co-hosting! I hope you get acceptances before you have to withdraw. :)

Elizabeth said...

That's a good reminder that sometimes things happen all in good time. I often take longer than I thought I would when preparing or editing my writing.

Mandy said...

Congrats on sending out so many queries. I realize you've received a lot of rejections, but I can only imagine how much work went into each of those queries. I also imagine that each time you send one out, you get better and better at it… Hopefully closer and closer to an acceptance. Keep it up! Maybe 2018 will be the year your 9 short stories and 5 novels will be accepted. :)

With Love,
Mandy