Writing at Last...

I've wanted for years to live the life of a professional writer, and to be producing a variety of novels, short stories and works of nonfiction. Our son's journey in life very nearly ended before it really had a chance to get moving. My wife and I found ourselves working hard to keep him alive while handling all the other daily tasks that adult life requires. As the years passed, there always seemed more pressing concerns. It is neither a unique story nor a particularly interesting one.

In recent months the dream surged forward in my priorities, and I decided to stop wishing and jump right in. At this stage in the game, I have penned over 10,000 words towards the first draft of a novel. Additionally, I submitted two short stories to potential publishers in the last month. The first, entitled "Tessa's Wish", went to Meerkat Press for their upcoming anthology, Behind the Mask: A Superhero Anthology". My second story, "It is the Sweetest", went to Off the Beaten Path Press, for their planned anthology, "Hell is for Children". The submission periods for both have closed, which means that the waiting has begun. I know that the folks at Meerkat Press received about 700 submissions for their project, so competition is definitely fierce.

When I was a teenager, the question of how authors found out about such anthologies was always a bit of a mystery. It must be easier now, thanks to the Internet. I have reviewed a list of projects taking submissions and have at least three over the next five months that look interesting to me. Then there are all the magazines. Such bounty! I look forward to when I get my first acceptance notice, though even the first rejection slip will be kinda' cool. I thought my first story wasn't half bad. There was definite improvement with the second. I've got my fingers crossed...