I’ve been at this for years now. Writing and submitting never gets easier, but it does become more rewarding IF you work hard to hone your skills and keep making your work better and better.

It doesn’t matter how good you are, sometimes (or a lot of the time really) your writing won’t fit an issue or an editor’s vision. I received a couple of rough rejections this weekend but the first thing I do when that happens is I examine my work and look for outside input to help figure out if I can make the rejected piece shine more.

This comes at the perfect time because I’ve heard a few authors complaining about not receiving the returns they think they deserve from the industry. And once again I am reminded how lucky I am. It doesn’t matter how good YOU think your work is, if readers aren’t having it, you will go nowhere. 

The focus should always be to write something worth reading. Publishing isn’t a selfish endeavor. To find success, a writer must give more of themselves. If you’re writing just to get published, you’re in the wrong business. The goal should always be to create something worth sharing, not some writing credit scavenger hunt.

I usually take a writing hiatus in the month of December, but due to the year’s events and the flood of ideas that love teasing me I will be busting out more stories. My experiences are my own and I am no expert, but I’ve always trusted the wind to blow me in the right direction and it’s not failed me yet.