Last year, I submitted almost two queries a week for articles, stories, or my novel. This year, because I’ve been so insanely tired, I haven’t submitted anything (I think – see? I’m so tired I can’t even remember).
Finding appropriate places to send my writing—especially my fiction—takes a lot of time and is a lot of work, and I just don’t have the energy for it these days.
And I know that once the babies come, I’ll have even less time and less energy. And whatever time I do have, I won’t want to spend it researching obscure journals that might or might not be interested in publishing what I’ve written. And even if they were interested, they wouldn’t pay me. The privilege of a byline is all most those magazines offer by way of payment.
Since that’s the case, and since the thought of writing in a vacuum, with no one beyond my critique group reading what I write is, well, depressing, I have decided to periodically publish the short stories that I think are publication-ready on my website. At least this way, a few people might read the stories, and that feels a heck of a lot better than having them sit unread on my hard drive for the next who-knows-how-long.
So I’ve set up a new fiction page (in place of the old Speaking page—because let’s face it, I’m not going to be doing any public speaking for the foreseeable future) and have posted my first story, “Rose at Dawn,” a little romp of a fairy tale/romance that I wrote last fall.
I feel sheepish asking this, but I’m going to anyway: If you like the story, would you please send the link to a friend whom you think would enjoy it, too?
And, of course, I’d love to hear your feedback—the more specific, the better, as that’s what will help me learn what I need to work on in my storytelling.
Hi Kimberlee! I’ll totally read it and send it on!
I’m looking forward to checking it out!
Great move, Kimberlee!