Writer's Fallout Shelter

Howdy! I've submitted before--and have a pile of rejection letters (many of them form letters) to prove it.

I also have a few published stories out there. AND I have a ton of encyclopedia & textbook articles, as well as reviews floating around in various texts.

It's always scary to submit stuff. At many points I was so frustrated that I started to believe I had no talent at all. But I kept going, even though the rejection pile grew larger and larger.

I comes down to just taking the leap and doing it. If the story or article gets rejected and the publisher provides criticism, take it to heart, make the changes, and re-submit it (if requested) or send to it to another market. Organization is important, so keep a log of where you've sent each work, as well as when and the outcome. I always start with the higher-paying market first, then spiral down to the freebies. Getting published is not usually a get-rich-quick game, so you have to go for "credits" when necesary.

Your writing is your creation--your child, so to speak.

You have to let your child leave your protection and explore the world. He/she can't stay home or else he/she will suck the life out of you.

I've learned all of this primarily through working in the film industry. I currently have a screenplay that has been optioned five times. Each time something has happened on the financial or production ends that have caused the project to go back into oblivion.

The first time it was optioned, I was excited. As with the second time. The third time I was wary. The fourth time I was ready to let the child leave home. The fifth time I was ready to boot the kid outta the house. I'm sick of it now and just would like to get paid. LOL.

So, take heart. It's frustrating, scary, and *shutter* not particularly creative. But you'll remain unfulfilled if you don't try...

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Ridding the world of beer--one bottle at a time...