Like many of the un-published writers posting to this blog, this is my first blog post. I struggled to develop an idea for a post. Okay, that’s not quite true. I pursued three separate ideas, but the resulting pieces left me uninspired. So I scrapped them. They were all based on good ideas, but upon reflection, the execution of each was lacking and the weaving of my words resulted in knots or holes.
If I want to submit anything, even a post such as this, I want it to be worth reading. I think that is what most writers want, isn’t it? To create something worth reading?
So, what to write? What is worthy topic for my first piece of writing available for public consumption?
The submission process.
Creating a piece is easy. Words flow, ideas merge and multiply and within a few moments, I have a beginning, middle, and an end.
Then the challenge arrives – how to take the jumbled flow of thoughts and ideas and create a flow, magic; something worth reading.
Editing, as I have learned, is time consuming. Reading, reviewing, and re-writing – these are my three R’s. Before I became serious about learning the art of writing, I thought editing was simple. All I had to do was check for spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, and perhaps a missing word. Now I have a much clearer perspective. Editing is polish; a chance to work out the kinks, to add a line, or remove several others. Some writers have only one or two revisions during this process. I tend to have many more, but I believe it is a good sign. I take care to review a piece of work and ensure that it is what it needs to be.
After editing, I let my piece sit. I leave it be and after a few days or maybe a week or two I read it over one last time.
Then it is time to submit. The submission email is compiled, followed by one final check, to make sure that the grammar and spelling are perfect. With that, everything is complete and all that remains is the simple press of a button to send an email or, as in the case of a blog, post the piece to cyberspace.
However, if you are like me, pressing the button is the hardest part. Heartbeats increase in number and a well of excitement rises in your body. Then the nerves appear and doubt follows soon after. Is it good enough? Will the submission be worthy of consideration? Did I forget anything? What if no-one reads it?
Or worse, what if no-one likes it?
That is the moment to press send. When the nerves are high, but before you ‘chicken out’.Remind yourself of every bit of work that you have done to get to this point.
Submission.
The piece needs nothing else. It is good enough. Someone will read it and someone will like it. In fact, someone will love it.
After submitting, the wait comes. Though I am not above checking my email repeatedly for a response, I would like to think that I’d use my time productively and work on a new project. But I really want to receive a response, to see one word in particular.
Accepted.
So here it is – my first Happy Authors Guild submission. Tomorrow, I am preparing my first submission to a publication and I guarantee that I will be reviewing that email several times before I finally press send. I may even check my email frequently in the weeks to come.
I have to include a short biography with my piece. It may look something like this:
Polly J. Brown manages money and people, both at work and at home. She resides on Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore with her husband, three children, and a geriatric beagle. She is currently working on her first novel-length piece.
Cheers,
PJB