IT'S NEVER TOO LATE!

I just submitted one of my story poems to the Cheerios “Spoonful of Stories” contest but I will very surprised if I come anywhere near winning.  The stories are supposed to be for kids 3 to 8 and I think mine would be too mature for the youngest of that age group, even though it is a fairy tale story.  Come to think of it, I’m not sure an 8-year-old would even appreciate it.  It is also in rhyme, which I think meets the qualification of being readable, but not many publishers want that now.  The story I wanted to submit is too long.  They want no more than 500 words and mine is over 700.  I was cutting it down, but I don’t know if I can cut that much of it.  I will see if they let a person enter more than once and if they do, I will either keep working on that one or write a new story.  I just remembered another fun one I have that might work, but I don’t think I have it on the computer now, that’s why I was not thinking about it.

The new agency I was hoping would represent me in the children’s picture book market just sent me an email rejection yesterday.  That is why I don’t believe in Positive Thinking and how I learned to be more of a pessimist.  If one does not have high hopes it is better to be unexpectedly pleased if something works out well than to be convinced in one’s mind that it will go well and be let down.  Rejection is painful.  Fortunately, I have matured enough to not let is stop me from trying and hoping that the next one will succeed.  I used to take it a lot harder.  A rejection like that, when I was convinced that it was in God’s plan for me to get it, would cause me to rebel against God and stop me from doing His will.  Now, I am able to look at it and think to myself, this was just not the right time and place.

Yesterday, as I read the current issue of Children’s Book Insider, I saw two listings of agencies.  One is new and was looking for children’s picture book material.  I spent the rest of the morning revising one of my stories, which has not been accepted anywhere I sent it, so it would be under 1,000 words.  They said they were not interested in anything over that.  This took up more time than I expected and I did not get to the first chorus rehearsal of the new season as a result, but this was more important to me.  I submitted the story to them and hope to get a positive response in about 10 weeks, which is when they say they usually reply by.  I hate waiting, but if I keep busy maybe the time will pass quickly.

Today is a cold, windy, wet day, the kind in which there are only a few things I feel like doing, probably in the following order:

1. Sleep
2. Read
3. Write
4. Watch movies
5. Listen to music on the radio (especially oldies)

I was at the library returning an overdue book (which I hadn’t even started to read, so I did not take it out again, I will another day).  I picked up a DVD I had on hold, An Education and took out Evita, which I had seen when it came out but don’t remember well.  I also have Definitely Maybe and Funny Girl.  I love musicals.

I am finally about ready to go back to the ICL lesson (Institute of Children’s Literature for anyone who has not read my blog before and did not know what those letters stand for).  I posted the problem I was having on the Writer’s Relief discussion board there and got some good suggestions, so I am re-inspired now.

I also received a very detailed and helpful review of a short story I posted on Writing.com and now I am eager to use the suggestions that person made in a revision of the story.  As for reading today, I need to finish the last book I have to review for Children’s Literature.  I think that is enough to do today.

I shared my latest story poem with one of the writers groups I am in at the senior center downtown and they liked it.  One of the men said that he felt it was the best of the ones he heard me share.  I submitted it online to Poetry Magazine, which I am determined to get something published in one day.  I have tried about a dozen times so far and only been rejected.  I think they have a prejudice against rhyming poetry as many magazines do now and some of what I sent them were more traditional fairy tales.  This one is not for children, even though it uses fairy tale characters.  The story is too adult as I said in my April 1 entry.

I know it has been a long time since I last put an entry on my blog.  I have been in a writer’s slump.  This morning, I finished a story poem that I began writing yesterday with revisions to that first draft.  It is in what I consider my niche, based on a couple of fairy tales, but not a retelling of them and it is in rhyme.  That makes it hard to find a market.  Plus, this is more of an adult story than a children’s version.  I am becoming more convinced that the only way I will get such material published is to go the self-publish route, but the cost is out of reach for me now and I would need to find out how much I would have to do to promote my book myself and how much the company I would sign up with would do.  There are so many out there doing that now, I will have a difficult decision to make if that is what I need to do.  If I have any readers who could suggest one I would appreciate it.