Submissions to Literary Magazines

Hello everyone! Lately, I’ve been dedicating my time to submitting stories to literary magazines in hopes of continuing to be published in as many places as I can reach.

Let’s explore my recent writing updates, especially focusing on the new short story I’m developing and how the weather around me has sparked my inspiration.

Updates

Two magazines to which I have recently submitted are NeckSnap Magazine for their Issue Two and The Morgue for their upcoming Issue. As I am reading the guidelines and revisiting some stories that I have posted, I have noticed that my editing needs more work, and Grammarly is not picking up on spelling errors. This is embarrassing, but also part of the learning process.

While crafting new material is thrilling, revisiting old stories is equally essential in a writer’s journey. Each edit is an opportunity to refine prose and reassess character and plot development. If the first draft is a rough sketch, it’s during editing that the true masterpiece emerges. That is what I hope to achieve when I am reediting these stories for submissions. Editing can feel daunting, yet I've learned to approach it with fresh eyes. For instance, putting a piece aside for a week and then returning to it can bring unexpected clarity. This journey is fulfilling as I refine each piece to reflect my growth as a writer. The process of submitting work to literary magazines fills me with both excitement and anxiety. It ultimately drives me to enhance my craft.

The Submissions Process

Submitting pieces to literary magazines can feel like standing on a precipice. The anticipation of waiting for feedback and the possibility of publication creates a mix of excitement and anxiety. Most literary magazines let you know that they will reach back out to you in sixty to ninety days. Most reveal the limited number of stories or issues they are going to publish in a given year or season. This highlights the challenge writers face in this competitive field. Writing is fun, but it's also highly competitive, and finding a submission call where one of your stories fits the criteria can be even more challenging.

Navigating the submission guidelines can be complex, but I’ve learned that understanding each magazine’s aesthetic and tone increases the chances of a successful submission. I have wondered if I should seek out literary magazines that I truly enjoy and then tailor my stories to their specific criteria. For example, the recent stories I submitted to NeckSnap Magazine had to be under two thousand words. The most recent short stories I have written are well above three thousand words. Because of this, I had to go back to some of the stories I wrote last year, which were shorter, in order to meet the submission guidelines.

Having the right mindset also helps. Rejections are simply stepping stones toward success. Every writer faces them, so I am in good company. Just as perfecting a golf swing requires practice, perfecting a piece takes time.

New Short Story in Progress!

One of the most exhilarating aspects of my current writing life is the new short story that’s currently in the works. I’ve drawn significant inspiration from the eerie quality of H.P. Lovecraft’s works. His ability to evoke a sense of unease and dread is something I aspire to achieve in this new story. The story is still in its infancy, yet I can feel its haunting essence shape itself. It’s not just a narrative of horror; it delves into deeper themes that I see resonate with a lot of people in rural areas of the Texas Panhandle.

The weather here in Texas has unexpectedly fueled my creativity for this new story because the amount of rain we have received this summer is much-needed rain, but is it enough to fill reservoirs for droughts to come? The high plains of Texas, along with other states, sit on top of the largest aquifer in the country, supplying billions of gallons of water to farmers and communities. It is estimated that 71% of the water pumped from the aquifer goes to irrigation for crops and livestock. This is a great blessing for the region that I live in to have fresh water, but also a dreadful thing because, as much as the aquifer is constantly being pumped, it does not refill fast enough. This has caused farmers in the county that I live in to dig deeper and deeper into sediment-dense aquifers where the water may not be as fresh, clean, or bountiful.

Here is some extra information if you want to read more: https://texaschemistry.org/aws/TCC/pt/sd/news_article/588293/_PARENT/TCC_layout_details/true?tcs-token=0a86d71f51d36bb100a8eb40314bdd9e2174ba6aa0756cb88864371cc976e302

I live in the panhandle, so we have not received the same level of flooding as those in the hill country have received, but it still has been a significant amount. My heart goes out to all those who perished during the recent Texas floods. May God grant them peace and rest.

Journey Ahead

As I navigate the ups and downs of submitting to literary magazines, this process remains an exciting aspect of my writing journey. Currently, I’m eager to share the new short story once it’s finished, especially with the captivating atmosphere I hope to cultivate. Thank you for your ongoing support, and stay tuned for more updates as each step brings me closer to being the writer I aspire to be.

The writer's creative space during a rainy afternoon