Hi all, I’m combining several writing updates because, to be honest, I didn’t get a whole lot done in the beginning of the year.
In December, I finished the rough draft of my short story “Root Bound.” And then I sat on it for a while. This is often recommended before you revise, but I kept sitting on it. And sitting on it.
Finally, sometime in February, I started poking around with revisions. My boyfriend (who is also a writer) gave me some wonderful feedback, and slowly, one Google Doc comment at a time, I addressed.
Then I repeated that process 2 or 3 more times.
By mid-March, I felt somewhat done with the piece. I also felt done with the piece – like I didn’t want to read the goddamn thing again. So I started combing through Submittable and making a list of 10-15 journals that were accepting short fiction. After the obligatory wave of self doubt, I submitted the story to my list of journals.
To my immense surprise, I received an acceptance in only a couple of days. To be clear, this wasn’t due to the objective merit of the piece. I paid $5.00 to this particular journal for an expedited response.
It took 3 months of stagnancy, but I am pleased to say that the short story will be published by Third Point Press. I realize the tone of this post doesn’t quite convey my excitement over this. Believe me, when I got the email at 10:00pm I immediately ran downstairs to tell my mom. But the piece was also a slog. I felt like I was climbing a mountain through molasses the entire time I was writing and revising. So yes, I am incredibly excited and proud. But I am also relieved. And if that’s not how writing feels 90% of the time, then I don’t know what is.
Ink Stains & Blank Pages 