traveling too light
How many times has this happened to you? You submit a short story to a publication, a hundred days go by and you haven’t heard anything, then suddenly you get an email from the editor there saying that your original submission seems to have gone astray and would you kindly send it again?
This is the first time in my recollection when it has happened to me.
Back in January, I had submitted my story “Travel Light” to a regional literary magazine. The story has a significant regional connection, and I thought it had a good shot at this magazine, which favors the region in question.
So off it went. The submission guidelines at the magazine were a bit vague, and I had ended up sending it to two different people there. That may have explained how it got lost.
But what’s unexplained is the courtesy and professionalism of the editor. This is not to say that editors aren’t, as a group and individually, both courteous and professional. Rather, it is to say that this editor, who must be as awash in submissions as any other litmag in the land, somehow noticed the missing submission and then took the time to pursue it (rather than simply delve into the slush for other worthy candidates).
So off it went again today. I’m resetting the clock at Duotrope’s Digest (where I’ve logged the submission), crossing my fingers, and getting busy on other things.
“Travel Light,” you may recall, is the second chapter of my eternally-in-limbo novel Larger than Life. I continue to believe it is a viable story, and I continue to make notes for it. I have another chapter of it in circulation as well. I suppose if that’s all that ever sees print, I could be satisfied, but I hate unfinished business.
Explore posts in the same categories: short storiesThis entry was posted on May 1, 2012 at 12:59 am and is filed under short stories. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments.
Tags: Travel Light
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