It's the first Wednesday of the month, so it's time for The Insecure Writers! The IWSG is an online group created by Alex J. Cavanaugh for writers. You, too, can join us anytime!As I mentioned last month, I am successfully avoiding insecurity because I am so damn excited about my writing group. We meet once a month, and apparently we share a similar schedule to the IWSG, because once again we just recently met, right before the first Wednesday of the month.
BUT, that's not what I'm writing about today. Well, sort of. Peripherally. It's related. Relatedly.
Whatever.
I want to write about just doing it.
Not Nike, no.
Submitting,
Yes. Submitting your work. Querying agents. Sending stories/essays/poems to magazines or publishers or literary journals or (paying) blogs.
Here's what I've realized, first-hand, in only two months of meetings with my group: some of the most talented writers never get published, because they never submit. I realize this isn't exactly earth-shattering news - I've read about this phenomenon myself - but now that I'm seeing it happen right in front of me, it's throwing me for a loop. These writers I'm meeting with are so damn talented, but some of them aren't published, because they're not submitting.
You know when you open a journal/magazine/website/anthology, and read a piece, and think, 'well, that's OK, but I know I can write something better.' Well, you know why that piece is published? Because the author submitted it. Shocking, I know. Most likely, that author submitted to a ton of places. Most likely, he or she fielded 10, 20, 50, 100 rejections in the process. Most likely, he or she drank too much/cried too much/swore to give up, too, and then kept going.
And got published.
So please, IWSG-ers, don't be Those Writers, the ones who pen gloriously and submit never-ly. Please get your stuff out there. Rejection will come, and you'll survive it - and then you'll be published.
I challenge you to pick a piece you've been sitting on, that you know is finished, that you know, is good, and submit it. Right now.
Just do it.
Do you submit, or are you submission-phobic? What piece are you holding onto? Where are you going to submit, right now?
I DO know what you mean about reading a piece and thinking "I can write better than that." Then I feel all arrogant and trick myself into believing that, no, no I can't. But I still submit, because why the hell not?
ReplyDeleteBut some people don't and I think this is a good point to bring up. You HAVE to submit or NOTHING will happen. It's obvious but maybe not to the insecure.
I'm happy you've found a writing group!! :)
Thanks for the inspiration. What I have to do is actually finish something so that it can be submitted. I'm trying to concentrate on that these days.
ReplyDeleteooh great post! I think I have the opposite problem. I was always addicted to querying/being on submission. I knew there was no hope unless I was out there and I CRAVED that day my MS was query/sub ready. Of course once it was out there I was a wreck every time I got an email lol but it's always such a weird high!
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely submission phobic! Well, I do know that my novel isn't ready for submission, but with my smaller pieces, I really should be submitting them. I think it's just about actually taking the time and figuring out which pieces would be good for which publications and so on.
ReplyDeleteLOL. I'm always wanting to submit things, and then I'm like, "But I really don't have time against my deadlines." Last year I was awesome though: 6 pieces published, plus a book. This year, I'm trying to be patient with myself, and life.
ReplyDelete"Some of the most talented writers never get published, because they never submit." So simple and so obvious, yet so very true. There's a lot of fear involved in letting that manuscript out of your hands, but we have to let go at some point.
ReplyDelete*nods* Yes! So many talented people who don't pursue what they want. You just want to shout, "Go get 'em, Tiger!"
ReplyDeleteI remembered being really terrified when I submitted the first time but I did it anyway. I think it is very common to have submission fears.
ReplyDeleteSusan Says
I'm submission-phobic but I do try to submit anyways. Been rejected so far but have received positive feedback from editors. I admit I haven't submitted anything in half a year, but I've lined up a few submissions I want to send my writing to in August and the following months.
ReplyDeleteI can understand this because, for me, I would not know even where to begin. Now I have to actually write something other than my grocery list or my love note to my hubby but I would be totally at a loss where to start. Thankfully I have blogging buddies that I can now annoy, I mean, ask when I write my great novel worthy of playboy reviews. Now sure why I picked Playboy but ..., oh well. I think others don't submit due to fear. Fear can be so crippling and yet most of the time, it is unrealized fear. I have a feeling you will be helping some of these people you met. Glad you are enjoying your meetings. Now...how are you feeling? I hope the heat is getting to you too much. What is your favourite colour?? I'm just curious?? Boy what an off shoot from what your wrote about eh?:)
ReplyDeleteI'm feeling fine, but it's my wife who's pregnant, so she's suffering a little these days :) My favorite color? Hmmm. Purple, probably, but I also do love a deep red.
DeleteIf we never submit, we won't ever get published or meet out dreams. We have to just hold our breath and click "send."
ReplyDeleteI used to submit my short stories all the time. I haven't done that in several years. I got lazy about finding places to submit to and started self-publishing more, which I really enjoyed, so I never went back to try to submit my work.
ReplyDeleteOh, drat! I have almost forgotten about those two stories. Now, I'll have to find a place to submit them. But you're right, of course. If we don't submit our stories, they don't get published. Unless we publish them myself: a very tempting prospect too.
ReplyDeleteWell said, Liz! If you don't submit, you won't be rejected, but you'll never be accepted, either.
ReplyDeleteSo true. I've known some of those writers too. It isn't talent, but perseverance that makes it in this business. Although often I've submitted too soon, I've also been guilty of being a perfectionist and not submitting.
ReplyDeleteOr they're sneaky like me and self-publish. LOL
ReplyDeleteSeriously, great advice. :)
IWSG #119 until Alex culls the list again
Yes, perseverance does pay off!!! Good Post Liz.
ReplyDeleteI did submit, but now I decided to gloss right over the submitting part and get to the publishing bit. ;-)
ReplyDeleteThis is such a great post and a very much needed kick-in-the-rear. While I am querying agents for one of my YA manuscript, I have an adult one I've been sitting on for a while that I want to submit directly to publishers but haven't gotten up the courage to do it. But, I will now! As soon as I get back from vacation, I am researching and submitting. Yessiree!! Thanks for the kick! :)
ReplyDeleteI think I'd call myself submission-phobic. I have tried it before, just never successfully...
ReplyDeleteOh, I do hate rejection. It is most unpleasant. But it's just one of those things a writer has to suffer through. But, yeah, my CP just keeps dragging his feet on finishing the novel and getting it out there. Some submission-phobia going on there, I think.
ReplyDeleteExcellent advice! I almost fell into the non-submit camp, as far as not submitting to agents & publishers. But I couldn't stop myself from submitting my stories online for reader feedback, and that's actually how I made the connection that led to my first & second books being published - and that gave me the confidence to start submitting other places, too. If I'd never let the stories leave my laptop, I'm sure I'd still be an unsubmitter..
ReplyDeleteOi. >_< I don't know if I'm submission-phobic, because I've already been rejected a bunch, but I hate the whole process. I know I'll need to write a query for my current book, and I have no idea how I'm going to fit everything I need to tell an agent into a few paragraphs.
ReplyDeleteI'm not going to let this stop me from submitting, of course. But I'm not looking forward to it at all.
Ugh. I haven't submitted anything in... I've lost track. It's been many months. I don't know if anyone else separates these two things but I don't mind submitting (as in putting my work out there for possible rejection) but I HATE querying.
ReplyDeleteI never wanted to end up like Mrs. Turkina, a character in a Chekhov story who writes all these novels and reads them to her family and friends to great praise, yet insists she's not going to publish them. I ended up just like Mrs. Turkina for a long time, putting my lifelong dream of publication on the back burner. I'm glad stopped querying so prematurely in 2001, since I wasn't quite at the right level yet, but I still regret it took so long for me to start publishing.
ReplyDeleteI used to write short stories quite a bit. In fact, after college, I queried everyone except my mother. Like, seriously. But those stories weren't ready. And these days, I don't write short stories as much but I do have one that might be ready, so maybe one day soon?
ReplyDeleteYes, submit! I feel the same when I see talented writers who aren't submitting. Put yourself out there.
ReplyDelete