Writing is not for rushy types. It can take eons for absolutely nothing to happen. Take, for example, a story I sent off four months ago to an overseas semipro magazine that it would be absolutely fantastic to get into. Yesterday I received the good news that the story has been passed on for consideration (yes, another maybe – that makes four potential booze-ups of joy, or not). However, because they received so many submissions for their last reading period (thousands, apparently, and I sent mine towards the end of the submissions period, hence the delay) I probably won’t hear about the outcome for months. So the competition is fierce. The odds are anyone’s guess. Possibly, the story might end up having existed in a never-never publishing superposition for up to 9 months and I’ll end up back where I started - no sale.
I’m not complaining – I’m used to this glacial process. It’s why it can take years for a story, if you’re lucky, to hit the right market at the right time. It's why you need to build up a stable of stories and keep them circulating while you work on the upcoming stories that will replace the ones that hopefully get published. I'm just saying that patience is a must in this game.
Mind you, I received a rejection today for the story I submitted on Saturday after the workshop ("even though we liked your story...") so sometimes judgement comes crashing down from on high with the speed of an avalanche.
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