allichaton

I'm scared. I've got two chapters left to type up edits on, and then I'm done with Gift of the Gods. Done. Which means that I can type up a synopsis and query letter, and then start submitting to publishers and agents. And that's damnded scary. I've never faced rejection on my stories before; I've gotten criticism and critique, but never rejection. And I'm harboring no illusions that the first publisher or agent I send this to will accept me. Not even that I'll get a personalized rejection letter. I'm almost guaranteed a form letter rejection, saying "No thanks", and I know it's going to hurt. I know it shouldn't, that it doesn't mean anything about my worth or the quality of my writing, but I don't think I'm going to be able to keep it from hurting. A lot. And that's scary, knowing that I'm setting myself up for almost-guaranteed rejection and pain. I can take the safe way out and never submit it, but that's cowardly, and I refuse to do so. This is good. I know this is good. Not award winning, probably not bestselling, but it's fun and entertaining, and I know it. Now I've just got to convince someone else, someone who has no reason to keep reading, because they know and love me, and have faith in me. It'll be a challenge, but I've never let challenges stop me before.

I can handle pain. I can ignore my fears. And I am NOT going to give in to my cowardice.

Sigh. I sent off a short story of mine, Saving Aren, to the zine Strange Horizons, and I've already gotten two emails back from them. I'd thought one might be an acceptance/rejection letter, but it was just the editor asking if it's the story's been published, since he was unfamiliar with the contest it won. Drat.

Oh well. At least I've got an estimated response time now! The confirmation email said response time is 1 to 2 months, so now I'm not hanging out in the middle of nowhere, wondering how long it'll take for them to get back to me. Considering that the editor had already read my cover letter after one day, I could get a response earlier, but I'm not holding my breath.

::crosses her fingers, and hopes she gets an acceptance::