Persistence

So, my writing experiment has continued for 6 months. In this time, I have written and submitted 24 stories and gotten 42 rejections.

I feel that this places me at another cross roads. I think the initial fork is when you decide to write and sub. Then, after facing rejection after rejection, the goal seems to be much for formidable than you initially thought.

I think this is a point where many new writers quit. They pack it in, fold it up, and move on to something else.

I, on the other hand, am of the feeling that I've invested way too much time and energy developing as a writer to pack it in now. I've gotten a few positive indicators -- encouraging rejections, a few short listed stories, etc.

But most importantly, there are several great stories I'm working on. How can I forget about those?

100,000 Words

Thanks in large part to my friends at W1S1, I've breached the 100,000 words mark for the year. That's 100,000 words in completed stories, so that can be anywhere from 150,000 - 300,000 words actually written. Before this year, I had submitted two stories in my life. This year, I've written 26 stories and submitted 45 times.

There is a lot of controversy in the writing world about quality vs. quantity. The driving philosophy behind W1S1 is that you churn out a lot of material. Given time, that material will get better. Some critics think that this is a horrible way to go, and that you're just vomiting out words without taking the time to really craft a good story.

Having gone through this thus far, I must say I think the W1S1 approach, coupled with critiquing other writers, has been a fantastic experience for me.

My writing has improved as a result of this process. Even though I've not published yet, the quality of my rejections and reader reactions are substantially improving. Further, I'm catching less flak for the basics--- structure, voice, etc.

I've also developed bullet proof skin for rejections, a handy thing. I usually get at least one a week. They are a common, every day part of my life now, and I no longer fret over them.

Will it pay off in pro pubs? Too soon to tell. But I feel like I'm finally starting to hit a sweeter spot with my fiction.