The Confabulator Cafe

Tag: story submission

  • What the Internet Taught Me About Submissions

    I have a weird relationship with sharing work and submissions. I’ve done it; I have my little pile of rejection somewhere in a box and I’m totally okay with it. For one: there’s something funny about how after something is rejected, you start to look at it and go, “Oh yeah, that totally wasn’t ready.”

    But my opinion of the submission process is very much affected by the way I’ve been sharing my writing since I was 17 — the Internet! (Ooooooooooh.) When it comes right down to it, the handful of submissions to small magazines and the single experience with sending a novel query is a minor experience compared to how I handle sharing most of my writing.

    Allow me to make this point with math! (Ahhhhhhhhhh.) Then I’ll tell you what the Internet has taught me about the submission process.
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  • Submission Secrets of a Rookie Pro

    We’re told never to start a story with the main character looking into a mirror, but we’re going to do that anyway, here. But it’s only a metaphorical mirror, so maybe that gives me some leeway.

    Shortly before my 42nd birthday, I took a long, hard look at myself. Ever since I was a little girl, my plan was that, someday, I would grow up to be a published author. I would write books and stories, and they would be available for other people to buy and read.

    The funny thing is, dreams like that don’t actually happen unless you do something to make them happen. And time was getting away.

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  • I’ve never gone “all the way”

    I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I am a submission virgin.

    Wait…that doesn’t sound quite right. Sounds…naughty.

    I haven’t ever submitted my work. There, that’s better. I haven’t ever sent out my writing. Not exactly. Well. I guess I sort of have. But that explanation comes later.

    What it comes down to is that I haven’t ever sent out something I’ve written to query a publisher or agent.

    I’ve thought about it. This year I even thought seriously about it.

    But I still haven’t.

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  • Submit! You Must Submit!

    Every now and then, writers need the crack of a whip to bring them in line.

    Bettie Page by Olivia
    Just to be clear, this isn't the kind of 'submitting' that I'm talking about. Bettie Page by Olivia.

    For me, it’s a deadline. I thrive on deadlines. Part of that comes from my day job as a copywriter, where everything is on a timeline. But I also know I’m a world-class procrastinator and will use any excuse to play one more round of Angry Birds. So to stay on task, I need to give myself a deadline.

    This year, I’ve challenged myself to write and submit stories on a regular basis. I needed an excuse to write multiple stories this year. And while the Confabulator Cafe has afforded me some opportunities for confabulation, I wanted to do more.

    Because I need regular deadlines, I checked Duotrope for publications looking for submissions and discovered anthologies of all shapes and sizes looking for new stories. The downside to choosing an anthology is they are often very specific in what they want. I don’t have a huge backlog of unpublished stories, so that means writing specifically for each anthology.

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  • Submit or Perish

    Writers are masochists. They have to be. Otherwise, they would never put up with the whole thing. Writing is a painful process.

    Don’t get me wrong. Everyone loves the first draft, some writers even enjoy re-writing, but I don’t know a single person that loves submission.

    Even the name sounds bad, as if you are giving in to the world, bending under its crushing weight. Unfortunately, it might be the perfect name for it.

    Submission requires market research. You search to find a publication that you think might have some sort of interest in whatever piece of writing you are trying to sell. Then, you have to read through their submission guidelines.

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  • Write. Revise. Submit. Repeat. (Week Ending June 16)

    Science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein had five rules for writing. Rule number four was “You must put your story on the market.” It’s a simple rule, but one that we as writers often forget. Writing is not just about writing. It’s about getting published.

    This week we’re asking the writers in our Cafe to admit whether or not they are following Heinlein’s advice. We have a wide range of answers. We have writers who have published novels, others who are on the cusp, and some who still need some encouragement to finish their work and get it out there.

    We hope you find each of their stories inspiring to read. Tell us how you’re doing in your quest for publication. Have you submitted anything yet? Let us know in the comments section below!

    See you next week,

    The Cafe Management