Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Another new story...and a rejection
Writing since the quadruple bypass has been problematic, but yesterday I finally finished and submitted another new short story. Unfortunately, it's already been rejected because it was too similar to something the editor had already purchased. Because the story is tied to a particular holiday, the manuscript will have to sit in my files for six to nine months before it can go out again.
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4 comments:
The story may have been rejected, BUT it proves you CAN still produce a quality product from start to finish in a tight time frame post surgery.
Know that's been a nagging concern throughout your recovery period.
I'm sure you'll sell the story when the appropriate season rolls around again.
In the meantime, congratulations on reaching another important benchmark!
During the three-plus months since surgery, I've written two stories from scratch, completed one started pre-surgery, did a wholesale revision of one story written pre-surgery, and have added bits and pieces to various stories that were in progress pre-surgery.
The four completed/revised stories have resulted in one sale, one rejection, and two no-word-yets.
All four stories were written/revised based on editors' calls for submissions to fill specific editorial needs. The most recent story might not exist were it not for substantial input from my plot monkey.
I can still string words together into recognizable sentences, and I can still recognize a story when I see it. What I can't do--yet--is see stories in my head. And if I can't see them in my head, how can I get them onto the page?
It may take some time to get them back into the head.
I'm sure you have thought about this but just sitting around with a pad of paper doodling until something clicks might help.
KNOW that the three plus months must feel like an eternity, BUT your body (and your mind) are still in recovery mode.
Have you considered repeating your confession writing course? Teaching others what used to be so easy for you to see in your head might be the second best medicine.
I'm sure you don't want to hear this, but time and patience are the real prescription.
One other suggestion is to discuss this with your doctor to rule out the possibility that some of your meds might need to be adjusted to improve your story vision.
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