This weekend I hit my goal of 100 submissions to literary magazines and competitions! Over the last two and a half years, I’ve sent 50 flash fiction and short stories to more than 60 magazines, publishers, and competitions.

Thus far, I’ve racked up 65 rejections (70.7%) and 27 acceptances (29.3%) (and I currently have eight stories that are waiting for a response – one of which has been shortlisted for publication in an upcoming anthology).

In short-fiction publishing, where many magazines accept only a fraction of the stories they receive, I’m very happy with those results. Publishing is a bit like fishing: you cast your line many times and don’t expect every cast to result in a catch. The important thing is to keep putting your work out there.

In recent months, I’ve been aiming higher and submitting to more competitive markets, which has naturally led to a spike in rejections. That’s completely expected. Many writers actually put more stock in their number of rejections, rather than their number of submissions, as it is through rejection that you learn and grow. As true as that might be, it still sometimes sucks to get those rejection emails!

Fortunately, some of those rejected stories have found homes in subsequent anthologies, magazines, and podcasts, and it’s always exciting to see a story connect with readers.

In the meantime, I’ve been self-publishing my short stories online – you can read them for free here. I’ve also been working on other writing projects that will hopefully see the light of day later this year.

I’ve also been sketching a lot lately. What started as a fun creative outlet has slowly become part of a broader goal of improving my illustration and storyboarding skills. I’d love to incorporate more visual storytelling into my work in the future.

Thank you for following along on this journey. If you’d like to hear about new stories, I’d love to have you on my newsletter.

Cheers for now!

Marinda