I've found a place I would really like to publish in. I've researched the kind of stories they publish, not as much as I should have. I've come up with an idea that fits, and written a story that fits. The word count is correct. The document is formatted and includes the information required by their information for authors (bio etc.) As far as I can see (which might be the problem), the story is of similar quality to those that have been published. Everything's ready to go, but I know that I shouldn't submit just yet so that I can improve the story over time. Please help me resist the temptation to submit. I only came up with the idea yesterday, I know it's too soon. But temptation is flowing through my veins.
I have this bug too. But you know that only about 1% of submissions directly to publishers get accepted, right? So you need to do everything in your power to balance the odds in your favour. That means edit, edit, edit until you can edit no more!
According to (The Submission) Grinder, this publisher accepts 17% of submissions. It's a flash fiction, not a novel. Yes, I should edit, edit, edit until I can edit no more. I feel that I can't improve it now, but if I leave it a week and come back, I'm sure that fresher eyes will help. But, temptation to submit NOW is building up pressure, like magma in a chamber under a volcano. I feel like I'm ready to go, like a fully charged Tesla car with the performance option installed.
Ahh. I recently submitted a short story somewhere with a lower acceptance rate. I've been waiting a week with no reply so, if that helps, you likely wouldn't have a published piece in a week's time even if you did submit now. Think of it like that
Yeah, hold off until you can, unless you have edited mercilessly. But you know, you maybe being too critical of your current story, it may be fine. You could post some of it in the workshop here and read the reactions/critiques (if you have not done so yet). I however, did jump the gun and went ahead and submitted mine to contest. My short story has no business being in there, and I did not butcher-edit it like I should of. It's a contest for adults, but with my terrible grammar/edit skills, I'll probably get a rejection and note back that reads "this contest is specifically those over 18 years of age and that not only have a good grasp of the English language, but also human language as well. Here is a link for you to get you in the right direction, hookedonphonics.com. Good luck, and never peck at the keyboard again." But I am sure you're not nearly as bad as me lol.
You can wait, but don't wait too long. If you wait too long, you get stuck in this pattern of constant revision, which isn't good. Eventually you need to stop and just submit it. I'm not saying you should submit it now, but certainly don't overthink it. Maybe put the story aside for a few days, come back to it, make any final revisions, and send it off. Good luck!
I agree with this. You don't want to remain in Revision-Hell where you just work on one story. It also deprives you of other stories that you should be working on. As what Leonardo da Vinci had said, "Art is never finished, only abandoned."
I managed to do a revision at lunchtime, so even if I submitted it now, it's been improved a bit. I think I'll leave it over the weekend and think about it again on Monday. Don't worry about that. I'm writing LOADS. I've just got another idea suitable for a call for flash for an anthology, and am starting writing the actual text now.
Unless there's a deadline, there's no reason to rush into it. You only get one chance per market. VERY rarely, a magazine might ask for a revision and resubmit, but that is rare. If you have someone who can beta read for you (a well-read individual who is familiar with short fiction pieces and maybe even the specific genre, that could prove beneficial--if it's someone who will give an honest opinion). Good luck as you move forward with this!
I don't know anyone who can read it for me. I'll have to trust myself. When you say I only get one chance per market, surely that's per story. I already have the rough idea for the followup for this story to this market should this one be rejected. (A completely different story).
Some people say draft seven may be better than draft twelve. This worries concerns me a great deal bit.
There's also Heinlein's Rules For me, I modified Rule Three into "You Must Stop Rewriting After the Third Draft, Except to Editorial Order."
And, I now have another story written and ready to submit after some further thinking and editing. The destination for this one has an even higher acceptance rate than the 17% above (I think it's 30%), but I really like the theme of the anthology they're working on. But I can't submit this one yet either (deadline is December), as the first paragraph clearly isn't up to scratch. I do want to write a novel some day, but flash fiction is so much better to write for me right now. As it doesn't take huge amounts of time to write and polish (within the limits of my ability). I think that Heinlein's rules are a bit optimistic for the modern world. There are so many aspiring writers that the competition is fierce. As far as I can see, I'm following the rules except for editing more than he suggests. And I am arrogant enough to believe that I have a 'modicum' of talent. But, I think that 'making it' will be far from easy, and unlikely overall. I have a good day job EDIT: Sorry if I've made this into the 'random thoughts of DefinitelyMaybe', but I have submitted the second, newer, story. I was encouraged by the high acceptance rate of the publication. However, perhaps being doing things in the wrong order, I bought some past e-issues of the magazine. I think the writing in it is of very high quality and the stories are good. In fact, I think the stories are better than other publications with considerably lower acceptance rates. I'm not sure how that works, but presume that the editor (who seems an interesting and dedicated person) is receiving higher quality submissions on average.
