Shame on me. Too busy living to post on my writers blog, but if it makes you feel any better, I've been very busy on my other blog, The Poor Farm. Which begs the question, Are Bloggers, Writers?
Food for thought for another day. Todays post is an update on all the submission work I did in May, June and early July, as I promised you. I believe rejection sharing is as important as self promotion when things go well. It always helps me to know that others are going through the same hard work as I am.
During that three time month time I submitted work to thirty-two publications.Some were contest submission, others just regular submissions for magazine publications. Most were short stories, but there were also three creative non-fiction pieces and a few poetry submissions. In that same amount of time I've received five rejections, and one acceptance which I'll tell you about in a minute.
That leaves twenty-six pieces out there just floating around, in someones email, on their slush pile or maybe in a brief case being shuttled about a big city. Some of these publications state clearly, "Don't call us we'll call you," while others promise to get back to you within three months. One sent me an email telling me they had too many submissions and mine wasn't even going to be read, while another simply placed a piece of paper in an envelope. At least it was obvious by the scrappettes irregular edges, it was cut by real human hands. I'm all for the personal touch.
None of them made fun of my work or called me names. I find that encouraging.
This morning though, I was gifted a glimmer of hope. I was notified that one of my poems, While the Coroner Waits, has been shortlisted (in the top ten out of over 500 world-wide entries) in the Dermot Healy Poetry Contest. I've also been invited to the awards ceremony on August 27, where the winner will be announced at The Five Glens Festival in Manorhamilton on the North West Coast of Ireland.
Sadly, there is no way financially I can attend the ceremony unless any of you out there in blogland have an extra pair of tickets to Manorhamilton, which you won't be using. I can trade you a boat load of organic sausage and steaks for them. I'll even throw in several bars (100?) of homemade soap. Your choice of color.
