What to do Next?
You’ve wrote your story. Then, put it through the normal amount of edits and rewrites. Once you feel your baby is ready to take its first steps out in the real world, you send it out to magazines and/or anthologies. What do you do if every market your story would be oh so perfect for turns it down? Do you look for alternative markets? Alter the story?
When I began subbing my story “Sealed with Anguish” early this year, I began asking myself these questions. Every time I submitted it, I received a rejection in return. The difficulty in finding the right magazine increased. After the sixth or seventh rejection, I finally decided to put it through another rewrite, keeping some of the comments from Editors in mind. “Sealed with Anguish” become 300 words heavier when I finished but I felt the story was stronger. The first market I submitted to, all new and improved, met with a positive result. I didn’t get a rejection, but not an acceptance either. It’s still being considered for publication or rather moved on to the next phase of consideration. This being a step up from a few months ago.
Sometimes, it’s hard to find the right market for your story. If you find yourself in such a dilemma, what do you do? Some writers believe their story is perfect as is and blame the markets that do not want it. Flexibility is a good trait for writers to have. There’s usually a middle ground between your vision and what the editor wants. This may not always be the case as to why you are unable to find it a home. Perhaps your story is in a league of its own. No magazine or anthology in existence to make the perfect match. What do you do? Trunk the story for a later date? Change it? What advice would you give other writers in such a dilemma?
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