I finished my short story and sent it in. I, not surprisingly, received a rejection on the piece within 48 hours. As I said, I am not surprised since I had a feeling it was not going to fit with what they wanted but I sent it in anyway. Have to take that chance. And you have to get your rejections out of the way. Right? It wasn’t the right fit and was sweet – I am guessing not action oriented enough for what they wanted. It was a very simple story that takes place in a sci-fi world but not action oriented in any way whatsoever.

Did I get upset? Yes, yes I did. I knew it was coming but it sucks big time. Rejection is never easy. So, I sat and cried as I talked to my husband about it. He reassured me. Telling me that even if it took a decade for me to become a published author, he would support me. An incredible amount of trust in my ability – especially since he hasn’t read any of my fiction work. Of course, he has said the same thing about my desire to go beyond a Bachelors for a Masters or a PhD. There is nothing like unconditional support. One of the reasons I love him so very much.

Now, what to do? The only thing one can do. Keep going. Look for other places to submit the piece. Rewrite it – fleshing out the story beyond the limitations that I had for it originally. Maybe even self-publish it at some point. Doing this as I continue to work on my other stories.

As the saying goes – Never Give Up… Never Surrender.

For the moment, I am back to working on my novel. It is going okay but at least it is going. A character I had originally put into a temporary or even throw away role is coming to be the more interesting character. Maybe it is because she is so incredibly unlikeable at the beginning of the story. More depth. So much more fascinating. Part of me wants to focus some more on her role and see where it goes. Leaving behind some of the other characters who had dead-ended. Until I decide, I will be leaving things as they are and keep plugging away.