I usually start at the very top. If I had a story accepted in the first 20 submissions, it would be landing in a place where I'd be treating myself to one helluva nice celebration.
1 day rejection from Dream of Shadows because the horror element wasn't strong enough. Could've been good writing--they didn't say--it just didn't fit. No guide, no compass. Just create, send, get rejected. Writing isn't really about how good one can write. It's about playing to what three or four people enjoy reading. I run the risk of getting into that argument again, but there really is just no middle ground, no option to get stuff out there unless it's self-publishing. But you can't just self-publish a single short story, especially not flash fiction. I was trying to explain this to a friend. I summarised as follows. With writing it goes: Creation > marketing/trying to fit to a preestablished order/preference. With any other medium, take art, it goes: Creation > build portfolio independently > use a plethora of preestablished platforms that are taken seriously. With writing you're trying to play up to what other people want. With something else (read: art) your making your own way all the time. I don't know why people have trouble understanding this. Putting a bit of flash fiction on your own Wordpress that no one visits is not the same as putting it on Artstation or Deviant Art. And before anyone says about Amazon again, I'm talking about single stories. With writing, you simply cannot get your stuff seen because the only route is to try and retrofit your story to what some people want. I must be going mad because this seems broken and no one else gets it. I'm trying to think of a way to describe this properly. Imagine a sculptor. He creates his marble bust. Now imagine he has to walk about with a cloth over it. He can only show it to the world if a handful of people say they happen to like it and that it fits what they're looking for. Without the external judgment of others, without this arbitrary acceptance, even though it might be brilliant art, there's no way it can be viewed. Edit: It doesn't invalidate my argument, but maybe I'm viewing this wrong. Maybe people actually pander to these magazines? I simply write what I want to write. I finish the story and only then do I think about where to send it. It never once crosses my mind to create something based on what someone else wants. Edit 2: I just realised how to encapsulate this. In art you're thinking all the time about how to make the art better and you're happy if you can make something great and upload it. It's the internal progress of the art that counts. With writing, happiness comes from being accepted by others after you've written the story, because that's the only way people can see what you've made. The happiness comes from the fact the cloth has been taken off... and you can be a writer... because some people said you can. With art, you're already an artist because you're making art. With writing, you can only be a writer until some people say you can be. (Obviously you can self-publish anthologies/collections/novellas/novels, but I'm talking about flash and single shorts).
I'll give you one thought on this: If the sculptor leaves the cloth over the bust, it remains whatever it is. Whatever skill, craft and artistry went into it is unadulterated whether or not he removes the covering. If no-one ever read Shakespeare or Hemmingway or whoever your chosen master is, the work remains what it is, as good or as bad as suits the palate. I think when you speak of writing, you're missing adjectives. Those adjectives include things such as Respected, Influential, Popular, Published, Struggling, Critically Acclaimed, and on and on. You write, therefore you're a writer. Some may love your writing, others may loath it. It's your call as to which adjective you aspire to put before Writer to describe yourself. Putting yourself out there has never been as easy as it is now but it's crowded. Getting someone else to put it out there is as hard as it ever was. I'd also disagree with the take on the visual arts. It takes investment of time and energy to read a book, even a short story. It requires very little to glance at a photograph, painting or sculpture and say, "oh that's nice" and get on with your day. I imagine visual artists also struggle for meaningful appreciation, not to mention making a living from it. Ok, that's two thoughts. I've overstretched.
With art, you're already an artist because you're making art. With writing, you can only be a writer until some people say you can be. Nonsense. Artists make art. Writers write. Look, you're facing the same problems all writers face at some point, and coming up with conspiracy theories to explain why you aren't getting published isn't getting you anywhere. Yeah, if you expect to get work published in particular venues, you have to present the Venue Powers That Be with work that fits their criteria. If you have a particular piece you want to submit, it is your job to find a place where it might fit. If all you want is for people to read your stuff, put it on this forum, Facebook, or one of the jillion and one sites for self-publication. Seriously, Teladan, I have a certain amount of sympathy for what you're going through; it's a common angst, especially among beginning writers who haven't figured out that it is a game and there are rules. At the same time, there is no cure for what ails you except to keep writing, keep submitting, listen carefully to any feedback you are privileged to receive, do a dozen rewrites, and if you are diligent, skilled, and lucky, one day a publisher will say yes.
What I would say is that you're struggling to reconcile that publishing is a business. That they only publish what will sell. That there's no art for art's sake component to the equation. Publishers don't display art because of an artisitc imperative for it to be seen. They do it to make money. That's it. And, yeah, that introduces a lot of cynicism to something you'd like to regard as pure, but the world doesn't work like that. Get over it. You really will drive yourself mad thinking things are supposed to be one way when they never have before.
Van Gogh sold 1 painting. 'cause, you know, nobody at the time liked what he made. You can make art if you want, just don't expect people to accept it just because you made it. I'm not bitter that so far I've not only been rejected, but ignored, with all my prose submissions. But I get it. My work isn't very sellable. That's the way it is. No need to cut off my ear. There are sooooo many writers out there churning stuff out there is neither the time nor the need to give useful feedback.
Sure you can. Whether anyone pays any attention to it or is willing to buy it is another matter entirely. This right here might be your problem. I only submit to a couple of the SFWA qualifying markets because most of them prefer stories with a more literary or experimental bent; that’s just not my style. Some of them also skew heavily towards sci-fi over fantasy, and I usually write the latter. Submitting to them would be a waste of time. There are plenty of markets for the “pulpier” stories I write at the semi-pro and token level, so that’s where I go. Magazines like F&SF receive far more submissions than they could ever publish, so they regularly reject stories they might otherwise accept simply because they don’t have enough openings. A story that doesn’t “pander” to the sensibilities of their editors and readership—consciously or not—probably never even makes it close to the final cut because there are dozens of stories that do ahead of it. There’s nothing wrong with writing whatever you want, but writing whatever you want doesn’t always produce stories consumers want. In general, I have to disagree with this. Many artists and writers find joy in the process of creation itself. They don’t need people to see what they’ve made to be happy. External validation is just a bonus. But maybe what you say is true for you specifically.
Also, in my opinion, just because you draw or paint doesn't make you an artist. There needs to a level of proficiency and expertise to get the moniker. Same with writing.
I mused over this for about an hour. Please read. This is the best way I can describe and explain it. Firstly, I absolutely knew I would regret the point about validation. I knew what the response would be because it wasn't read correctly. Or it's because I'm not explaining it correctly. In fact, I came up against this problem before in the argument thread (quality in self-publishing). I feel like I shouldn't have to say this again, but I will. Of course I get pleasure from the act of writing. I've said here before how serious I take it and how much I've been writing. Twenty years of writing... blablabla... God, I wish someone could understand this so I don't feel like I'm slowly going insane. It's painful having to write it out in different ways. I need to write this as a scenario so that it's extremely clear what I mean: 1) A skilled digital artist loves creating art. He paints his piece, learns new things along the way, puts it up on Artstation/Deviant Art/his own website. This art is immediately viewable. His art stands for itself. Just by viewing it you can tell he is good and knows what he's doing. The single image is all it takes to be taken seriously and can even land him freelance work/a professional full time job. The artist is happy that people can see his work and that they're getting joy from it. There is no barrier whatsoever to the enjoyment of his art because it's internal, independent, unrestricted. The art is just the art... There's no need for some external arbiter. 2) A skilled writer loves writing stories. He writes his story, learns new things along the way... Now, where can he put his story? Oh, he needs to actively search out places and sell it. There's no independent element to this journey. It goes straight from creation to marketing and trying to pander and sell. There's no independent platform. His short story is literally invisible unless he wants to put it on his obscure Wordpress or Twitter account that no one cares about and doesn't really stand for anything. He has this work of fiction which is now just floating in the void and he has to hope that someone will like it enough to put it in a publication. Whereas the artist already got to the exposure/visibility step by himself with no trouble at all and he didn't have to depend on other people. Again, I know that self-publication exists. But am I absolutely wrong in saying that there are no platforms for single flash fiction/short stories? Am I absolutely wrong in suggesting that no one will ever just discover a writer and ask to buy a story or promote it in some way simply by stumbling upon some blog of the writer's? I highly doubt someone from a popular magazine will trawl the internet looking at obscure blogs. This is what I mean when I say the only way for the writer's creation to be even viewed by other eyes is to depend on other people. This is what I meant when I said that a writer isn't really a writer. I tell people I'm a writer, true, but what I mean is I'm just creating stuff on my own, but nothing I've written (save one thing) has been published and so it can't be viewed. My creations, the very things which sustain me, aren't out there--because they can't be. Because some people have said no. They have the right to say no, of course they do, but the situation is insane to me. I could just put my new flash fiction or short stories on my Twitter account. But what does that really mean? Nothing. Edit: To answer the question about what I would like to see: A popular and respected platform which acts like a central hub for writers to post small, unitary works. Like Artstation for writers. People can upload their flash/short fiction to an account and people can just trawl the site. The platform is well-known and publishers seeking talent can trawl it. Each bit of fiction stands for itself, just like a piece of art would stand for itself. People looking for talent can simply look through the submitted work, discard the bad and keep the good. The creator putting things out there for the talent-seeker to find, not the other way around. Edit 2: I think this is the last thing I'll say on this. When it comes to single pieces of work, when it comes to flash and individual short stories, there is just no way to have this work be viewed. This is painful when the sole reason for existing is the need to create things and have your work help other people.
@Teladan - perhaps what you need is other meaningful interactions in your life... There's really no reason why this should be so depressing unless writing is all you have, and that ain't healthy for anyone. Anyway, so make your own platform. Look into marketing and figure out how to reach your readers yourself, and create a hub for others who feel like you. There's no reason why publishing on the New Yorker should be more prestigious and have a wider reach than your platform - how did they get there? Make your own.
Idk, my guy, i did pretty well on DeviantArt. Literally where i started. And i ONLY posted writing.... First Art platform i joined. The second was Protagonize, and that functioned like a very basic Wattpad, but they lost funding and had to shut down. I did pretty well on there too (which surprised me because it was the first story i posted that wasnt a fanfiction). I may be a nobody, but the only reason i joined Deviantart was to read.. not look at artwork (that came later). Im sure others do too. Im querying agents now and a lot of them want to know if you have work on wattpad or write under another name. Also, i email already established authors (books ive read and am curious about). One said her first novel was self published, but then her second novel got picked up, and then they republished the first one (i'd wondered why there were 2 different covers for it... That explained it) I feel like you are so focused on the negative. And my idea of "quality" writing or someone elses idea of it will not be the same as yours, no matter how many times you explain it. Someone can explain up and down why Rothko is such an amazing painter and why his work it beautiful, but i all i see is paint samples from Lowes....
I'm no longer interested in talking about quality, Woody. I stressed, quite significantly, that I'm talking about platforms. I don't think a single thing I said in my long post just now was about quality. I also said I'm speaking only to the idea of getting short stories and flash fiction published. I'm focusing on the negative because I feel like I'm writing into the void, into a vacuum. It's almost pointless writing short stories or flash fiction, small individual and unitary stories that aren't part of a collection. I can understand self-publishing anything larger than single flash/shorts. Really it's a triumph just to have work be viewed by more than a handful of people and it really shouldn't be like that. Most other artistic pursuits don't even think about that. They just take for granted the ability to instantly upload or make visible their creations by a plethora of different means. Again, I don't think anyone cares about my writing on my Twitter account or whatever else it may be. However, I'm surprised no one has mentioned Wattpad before. This is much more like the sort of thing I was talking about. In fact, I'm glad to see this exists. I hadn't known about it before. Although a quick Wikipedia search suggests it's almost entirely composed of teen fan fiction written by Gen Z...
God, I wish someone could understand this so I don't feel like I'm slowly going insane. This is painful when the sole reason for existing is the need to create things and have your work help other people. My creations, the very things which sustain me, aren't out there--because they can't be. Understanding is one thing. Agreeing with the contentions is another. Basing one's happiness, sanity, and reason for existence on seeing one's written work in print isn't salubrious. Nothing I have to offer is what you want to hear, so I'll just wish you luck and let it go.
If you weren't aware of Wattpad, have you looked into Amazon's upcoming format? I forget what it's called, but Adam Bolander started a thread about it. The basic purpose is to give authors a way to serialize their work, and get it out section by section, but it could also be used to publish flash fiction and short stories. Here's the thread: Kindle Vella
In my opinion any true and genuine expression of the self can be considered art because it is an expression from a point of view that is unique and infinitely deep. However, I would say that you can definitely express yourself better from practicing and just like shaping your voice you are shaping your tools to become sharper. But I would even consider a 5 year old's painting art in the extent that it is something entirely new and cannot be reproduced or remade.
What's wrong with Wattpad? It seems to meet your criteria. Yes, it does have a lot of fan fiction, some good, some probably bad. But the only way to eliminate anything you find undesirable is to add some gatekeeping process, but that would sort of ruin the type of platform you are trying to build.
Just a note: Wattpad is notorious for having your work stolen, and the owners of Wattpad apparently won't do anything about it. Just something I heard on a writing FB group - it happened to a member on the group and since then the group admin has banned all endorsement of Wattpad. I haven't verified any of this, but be very careful with posting your work on there.
Writers can do this on DeviantArt, too. I post all of my poetry and the occasional short story over there. It’s immediately viewable, it stands for itself, and anyone who takes a look can judge the quality for themselves. Those pieces usually get a couple hundred views, a few favorites, and the occasional comment. Some do better. No effort involved beyond tagging the piece appropriately and sticking it in a couple of the big writing groups. The readership on dA definitely leans toward fan fiction, in my experience, but you can find original writers or poets with a respectable audience. Art still dominates the site, which isn’t surprising. Like B.E. Nugent said, people can consume art in seconds. Writing—even micro-fiction or short poems—demands more of their time. Depends what you mean by “independent platform”. Do Wattpad, FictionPress, RoyalRoad or FanStory qualify? I’m not sure any are solely for short fiction, though many have thriving short fiction communities. You have to realize the demand for short fiction isn’t huge compared to other forms of entertainment. Platforms like the one you’re envisioning would probably have a hard time staying afloat if they refused to allow serialized web novels or fan fiction. As for whether people will ever just stumble across a writer and ask to buy a story, probably not. Popular stories on places like Wattpad have been offered publishing or even movie deals, but we’re talking novel-length works. People might approach you about commissions if they like your short fiction, but I get the sense you don’t write in the genres where this is common. You’re right that popular magazines don’t have people sifting through the Internet for talent. They’re so swamped, they don’t need to. The people looking for talent on fiction sites are from the novel side of the publishing industry, and they’re looking for works which are already popular.
