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I’ve written a lot recently about my fiction-writing journey. In fact, I have written six blog posts about the topic, including starting my novel, finishing the first draft, and submitting my novel to a small publisher. It’s been a year’s long journey filled with dream-filled drafts and spreadsheets rapidly filling up with rejections.
Every piece of writing advice I've read has said that rejection is just going to be part of the process. It is the expected outcome. Still, every new rejection stings and makes me question whether writing is something that I was cut out for. I mean, I’m a sensitive soul, which is why I’m drawn to the creative arts in the first place. Dealing with rejection is HARD.
But, still, I keep writing. I have written short stories and have started the outline to my next novel. I have even managed to get one of my short stories published, for free, on a small, independent website. I was proud of that story, “How to Find Killer Stock Photos,” and I was beyond happy that someone other than myself enjoyed it enough to publish it.
Even after that lovely win, though, I couldn’t help but feel that I wasn’t an actual author yet since I hadn’t been paid. Of course, that’s an arbitrary distinction. A writer is someone who writes. Merriam-Webster notes that an author is someone who creates a literary work or who creates something. There’s no mention of payment. So, by those definitions, I am an author. Still, in my mind, there’s a difference between writing a story that my immediate family likes and writing a story that someone believes in enough to pay for it.
And that day has arrived for me. My story, “The Most Dangerous Side Hustle,” has been produced by the wonderfully atmospheric Thirteen podcast team.
I also came home today to an email about another horror short story acceptance. These stories are ones that I’ve submitted to a variety of different outlets and either received rejections or radio silence. The acceptances have shown me that I need to have patience, continue to work on the craft of writing, and think of this as a long game.
I will continue to write my stories because I have this urgent need to create and make sense of my life, but I’m not gonna lie, that wonderful feeling of acceptance and getting paid for your creations, it’s a lovely feeling.
Yes!!! Listening now