by Sybil Johnson
I have a love/hate relationship with deadlines. Having one gets me writing more consistently, but it also stresses me out. Doesn’t matter if it’s a self-imposed deadline or one that comes from a contract.
Currently, I am trying to get a short story finished to submit to the Malice Domestic anthology, Murder Most Senior. Deadline is the end of August.
I have an idea that I like and that I think fits in with the anthology theme. Not sure, though, that I will finish it in time to submit it. So I’m a little stressed out right now. Plus I have cataract surgery coming up next month so that's fun
I have decided to just keep on plugging away, doing the best I can. Even if I don't make that deadline, I'll have a story that is pretty close to being done that I can submit somewhere else.
Speaking of short stories, my story “Mini-Mart Sleuth” is out now in Black Cat Weekly #207. The issue came out on Black Cat Appreciation Day, which seems appropriate for the magazine. I am very happy to have it published there and thrilled to see my name on the cover along with other contributors. There’s also an illustration at the beginning of the story, which I was not expecting. Pretty cool to see that as well.
I really enjoyed writing this one. It was rejected multiple times from 2 anthologies and a couple other places before finding its home at BCW. I didn't change it too much over that period, just tweaked it here and there. Whatever I did seems to have worked because it got accepted.
It’s published in epub and pdf formats only. For more info and to purchase the issue ($2.99 USD): https://blackcatweekly.com/b/l7OQ9
If you're into writing short stories BCW is also runing a short story contest. Details here. https://blackcatweekly.com/b/gue0P Deadline is September 30, 2025.
I better get back to writing. I shall listen to harp music while I’m working. That always calms me down and helps me focus.
1 comment:
One of the factors that keeps me on short stories is the turmoil that my novelist friends go thru, often due to DEADlines. When my short stories are accepted, I have the editor's notes to reconcile, a contract to sign, not much else - easy deadlines compared to "50,000 words by next Friday" squeeze plays. I liked your article. Decent once-rejected stories should be edited down or written up, and submitted again. Always. I've sold 5 year old stories. Rejection forced me to improve the stories until the right market came along. All for $25 to $100 - but I'm not in it for the money - right?
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