Tag: writing tips

27 Submissions: My Most-Rejected Story SOLD!

No, this is not a new rom-com starring Katherine Heigl; it is a tale of literary woe and eventual triumph. You see, last weekend, I set a new rejectomancer record. I sold my most rejected story. That’s right; “Time Has No Memory” finally sold… Continue Reading “27 Submissions: My Most-Rejected Story SOLD!”

900 Submissions: An Analysis

I recently hit another big story submission milestone. I sent my 900th submission since I started tracking them on Duotrope back in 2012. Like I usually do with this big round numbers, I’ll break down my overall stats, but this time, since 800 subs… Continue Reading “900 Submissions: An Analysis”

Path to Publication: The Downer

Time for another path to publication, wherein I recount the long and painful journey of a story from creation to that vaunted state of publication. This time, we’ll be looking at “The Downer”, a spec-fic piece that I thought was an absolute slam dunk… Continue Reading “Path to Publication: The Downer”

Surviving 700 Rejections

Last week, I hit another significant submission milestone. I received my 700th rejection since I started tracking them on Duotrope back in 2012. If you’ve been following my blog for any length of time, you know that when I hit a big round number… Continue Reading “Surviving 700 Rejections”

Pro or Not Pro, That Is the Question

Recently, I outlined my writing goals for 2025, which you can see here. One of those goals is to make at least 12 pro sales, but that leads me to the following question. What exactly IS a pro sale? It’s not as cut and… Continue Reading “Pro or Not Pro, That Is the Question”

Submission Statement: November 2024

And that’s a wrap on November. Let’s see how I fared in the story submission trenches. November 2024 Short Story Submissions I sent seven submission in November, three off my goal of ten, but I’m not unhappy with that total. It gives me 62… Continue Reading “Submission Statement: November 2024”

Micromanagement: 7 Reasons You Should Write Microfiction

I’ve been writing microfiction almost daily for the past five years under the prompted #vss365 hashtag on all the social media sites I currently inhabit, and I’ve blogged about the benefits of tiny tales before, but it’s been a while, and, well, the social… Continue Reading “Micromanagement: 7 Reasons You Should Write Microfiction”

Three Things I Learned as a Staff Writer/Editor

Working as a freelance writer certainly has it’s challenges, but what’s made me an expert at hitting deadlines and producing work to order was the years I worked as an in-house staff writer and editor for a couple of gaming companies. My first gig… Continue Reading “Three Things I Learned as a Staff Writer/Editor”

Climbing the Impostor Syndrome Ladder

Hey, follow writers, let’s talk about impostor syndrome. You know, that particularly pernicious brain weasel that constantly reminds you you’re not good enough, chewing your confidence and discipline down to the nub until you can barely string a sentence together. It’s a real son-of-a-bitch,… Continue Reading “Climbing the Impostor Syndrome Ladder”

Three Things I Learned from 500 Rejections

Back in 2023, I received my 500th rejection since I started tracking submissions through Duotrope. I’m closing in on 700 now, but that first five hundred was an important milestone. Despite the mountain of no’s, it felt like a real achievement, a rite of… Continue Reading “Three Things I Learned from 500 Rejections”