Writer's Fallout Shelter

I submitted my first story a week or two ago to a magazine called Dark Wisdom. So, in five months or thereabouts, I should be receiving my first rejection letter. How exciting.

I've heard authors complain that the short story market is dead, but after picking up a copy of Writer's Market 2007, I disagree--you just have to know where to look. If, however, they mean you can't make a living on short stories alone, that is quite correct, as few magazines pay more than five cents a word (the men's magazines that used to shell out $400-1000 a story don't publish fiction anymore, as far as I know), but there still are magazines, however small, that are purely literary where newcomers can be published.

The main reason I don't submit more is because I haven't written many short stories that I think represent my best work. I'm writing a fantasy novel that will probably evolve into a series, and most of my writing time is focused on that.