SHAZAM! I have learned that my short story “Homam, the Very Helpful Genie”, will be published in the next issue of the on-line quarterly Silver Blade. Three things I like about this publication:
1) They are dedicated publishers of sci-fi/fantasy from new and upcoming authors. My peeps.
2) They pay. (Okay, $7. But any writer will tell you the gesture means a hell of a lot)
3) They have a strict “No Vampires” rule currently in operation.
That means that of the six short stories in the blast of submissions I made in February, five have now been accepted for publication, along with the bonus non-fiction piece that got pulled in for the ride. That is stunning to me – this piece had been rejected a few times, but frequently with personal letters from the editors expressing that they loved the concept and the writing but felt like it wasn’t quite there yet. I had actually started putting myself into the mindset to take a shot at re-writing it. I probably still will if I intend to put it in the collection I am planning.
The sixth and final story is “Bubbles”, which has been rejected a number of times even before this round, and is only still alive at three relatively-choosy outfits. I feel strongly that there’s something worthy in that piece, but either I haven’t landed it or the people I am sending it to aren’t seeing it. Nevertheless, it is a relatively minor check on what otherwise has to be considered a rather staggering run of success.
There is a strong parallel in my writing and acting lives right now, where I am becoming concerned at a pattern of unbroken success at my current level. It doesn’t mean I haven’t worked hard, and it doesn’t mean I haven’t done good work, but it means that I have potential to do more and need to risk more failure in order to test my limits. When I got into Richard III I felt like that represented me reaching the next level as an actor – stepping up to bigger leagues. We’ll see if my performance actually lives up to the opportunity this summer.
The novella I finished last month, Evan After He Got Fired, is currently with one new but esteemed literary annual. Their submission rate on duotrope already indicates a high level of exclusivity. I hadn’t planned to really shop it around yet but took a flier because their submission window was closing for a long time, and the length and tone of the story means there are less potentially-suitable outlets for it.
If I get in, that would be a major sign that I can play in bigger leagues with my prose fiction. If I don’t get in, it doesn’t mean that I can’t, it just means that I have to try more. So either reaction is one I would ultimately be okay with – just the fact that I took a shot matters. Got to finish a new batch of stories so I can take more.