Cyber Stalking & I'm Back!

Okay, I'm not talking about the serious bad kind of cyber stalking. I'm talking about what happens when a story I've submitted is out past Duotrope's listed average time for a response (*see below if you aren't sure what Duotrope is.) Specifically, it's what I end up doing when I've submitted to an anthology, which has a more concrete run time.

And I'm doing it right now.

I try to not visit Duotrope more than once per week, if that frequently (it depends on what publications I've submitted to, and how fast they are at responding.) If I've got nothing nearing when I should be hearing, I'll go much longer without checking it. But submitting is such a hands off thing once you put that work out there, that I end up feeling a bit helpless. When I have something out to an anthology, I have that minute amount of control by looking at the website, blog, Facebook, etc. of that publication. Many anthologies will keep a running update on where they are in the submissions process, and it helps me to know if I've had something out long enough to really start feeling hopeful.

On Duotrope, you can see recent responses from the market, so if your story has been out for 45 days, but there are a bunch of rejections within two weeks of when they are submitted, you have an idea that perhaps yours is being held for extra consideration. This is by no means a definitive thing, but sometimes it gets me through a little bit longer as I wait to hear back. They also show the average response time for acceptances vs. rejections. All helpful data when you're obsessing about whether your piece stands a chance.

Hello, my name is Shannon, and I'm a Duotrope cyber stalker.

By the way, hi! I've been absent quite a bit lately due to chronic migraines. However, I changed my medical treatment for them and am feeling much more human now. Though it doesn't completely rid me of the permanent migraine I have, it radically reduces the level of pain and discomfort. It also helps significantly with my insomnia, which makes everything better, right? So hopefully I'm back to regular posting now!

*For those who don't know what Duotrope is, it's a database of publication listings. I highly recommend it if you're actively submitting. There is an annual cost associated, so if you aren't submitting it probably isn't worth it. In that case, however, there is a free database called The Submission Grinder.

Do you cyber stalk Duotrope? Publications you have stories out to? Or are you able to walk away and forget about it until that email comes in?

May you find your Muse.

Image by OCAL, clker.com

February IWSG - Not For Us & Links

It's time for the February IWSG, created by Alex J. Cavanaugh. 

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially InsecureWriter’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time. 

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

I knew what I wanted to write about today, and now I've completely forgotten. Insecurity? I've got plenty. I think if I read the words "just not for us" or "not what we're looking for" one more time, I may lose my mind. Okay, so I won't. But they're two sets of my least favorite words right now. 

Now for my monthly stats. In January, I:

Submitted 8 pieces

Received 4 rejections (one of which was a very nice, complementary personal one that I appreciated)

I currently have 9 pieces on submission (3 are newly edited and submitted for the first time)

I have 2 pieces I need to re-submit (got those rejections yesterday and haven't had a chance yet)

I have 5 pieces I need to edit and get out on submission for the first time

Now for some links! Always be sure to research any markets before submitting to them. I am not personally recommending these, only passing the information along.

Accepting Submissions:

Dirge Magazine is open for short, dark speculative fiction. 2000-4000 words. Pays between $50 and $150.

Freeze Frame Fiction is looking for flash fiction in any genre, as long as it's 1000 words or less. Current deadline is March 15. Pays $10 per piece.

Sorcerous Signals is looking for fantasy stories. They take flash fiction, short stories, and poems. Up to 10,000 words. Current reading period closes March 15. Pays $5 for short stories, $2 for flash or poetry.

Steam Ticket is seeking poems, stories, creative nonfiction, and artwork. Up to 4000 words. Deadline March 15. Pays in contributor copies.

Threepenny Review is looking for stories and articles. Between 1000-4000 words, depending upon type of submission. Pays $200 to $400 per piece.

Mad Scientist Journal wants your first person mad scientist stories. Will accept most genres. Flash fiction, short fiction, and serial fiction. Between 500 and 8000 words, depending upon type of submission. Pays from $10 to $100.

Lightspeed Magazine is closed for regular submissions, but is currently taking submissions for their Queers Destroy Science Fiction issue. 1500-7500 words. Pays $.08/word.

Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing is looking for dark speculative flash fiction for their newsletter. Up to 1000 words. Payment is $20.

Typehouse Literary Magazine is looking for poetry, short fiction, creative non-fiction, and visual art. 1000-5000 words. Not a paying market, but they give a small honorarium to the winner of the Editor's Choice Award each issue.

Postcard Poems and Prose is accepting poetry and flash fiction. Not a paying market, which would normally mean I wouldn't pass them along, but they're a fun group of people, so I am. And it's my blog, so I make the rules. ;)

That's all, folks. 

Are you submitting? What are you feeling insecure about right now? Have you overcome any insecurities? Any of these links of interest to you? Anything to share?

P.S. A little birdie told me I may or may not be an IWSG co-host next month. See you then!

May you find your Muse.

Submission Tracking

You know how every little once in awhile you get a phone call from someone, pick up the phone, and they ask, "Who is this?" It makes no sense, right? THEY called you. Shouldn't they know who they were calling?

I sort of had that experience with the contest I was chairing. Only I wrote to someone to let them know they hadn't placed in the contest, and I got a response back saying, "Who is this again? I don't remember submitting anything to you? Do you know what my piece was called?"

Huh?

By OCAL, clker.com

I had written the name of the organization, as well as the contest, several times in the email, so I was really confused as to why they simply didn't look it up. Plus, this person had paid to be in the contest (there was an entry fee), so there were multiple ways to track. PayPal, for one. The website. Their outgoing emails.

It made me wonder just how many contests this person was entering! I mean, props to them for submitting and submitting and submitting, if that is the case. However, if they're submitting that many pieces, maybe they should be keeping track in some way. Do you really want to write to an editor, for instance, and ask, "Who is this?" Probably not. Of course, I'm no editor, so this didn't impact them professionally, but if they weren't keeping track of paid contest entries, there's a good chance they're not keeping track of other submissions.

For me, I keep an Excel spreadsheet with the date of submission, title of submission piece, who I've submitted it to, their response period (if this is listed), their website, their email, and the editor's name. I then have tabs where I move it if I get a rejection or acceptance. This helps me keep track of those I've submitted to, and insures I won't have a mind spasm and re-submit the same piece to the same place. Given, I'm not submitting so many things that this is likely to happen (in fact, I haven't submitted since the piece that got accepted), so this shouldn't be an issue for me.

I also keep the copy of the piece I sent in within a folder called "Stories Submitted," so I always have the proper version and formatting sitting there to check, if need be. And I file the email in a folder for submissions, so I know what bio and information I sent. Overkill? Maybe. But it came in handy when I needed to notify one publication that another had accepted a story that was a simultaneous submission between the two. I was able to pull up the email and contact the appropriate person. Shew!

I'm wondering just how many people keep track of their submissions, and how they do so. Do you send it and forget it? Do you keep a record of it? What's your process for keeping track of your submissions? Do you include contests in that? Have you ever received an acceptance or rejection from someone you didn't remember submitting to?

May you find your Muse.