Happy New Year, everyone!  As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I’ve been submitting my short story, Short-Changed, to various literary journals and magazines.  It’s been a while since I’ve submitted my work anywhere, and I almost forgot how nerve-racking the process can be.  I am not, by nature, a patient person, so having to wait weeks (and, in some cases, months) for an editor to get back to me is a big ask.  I find myself checking for new emails obsessively, which is surely not the best way to pass the time.

On some level, it’s funny that I’m so anxious to hear back from these people, because I know that their response is likely to be negative.  I don’t mean to suggest that I don’t think highly of my story, or that I’ve lost faith in it.  My expectations simply reflect the probabilities here.  The numbers vary depending on the publication, obviously, but even the lesser-known ones are tuning down a hundred pieces for every one they take.  Plenty of good work doesn’t make the cut.  It is what it is.

But I just need one “yes,” and as long as I’ve still got submissions out there, I’ll live in hope.  And I’ll probably keep checking my email every few minutes.