DO NOT, I Repeat, DO NOT Wait By the Inbox

I did it this morning. Pasted that magazine query into an email and hit 'send'. It's only been an hour and I have to admit: after a short celebration with three Dove chocolate eggs and an episode of Charmed, I checked the inbox.

Why's it so tempting to hang out and let the rest of my writing hang out, too, while I wait for a response? In the past, I've waited days--months, even--for some sort of reply before I moved on to the next project. That was when I had a full-time job, when I could afford to consider myself a hobby writer. As a full-time freelancer, I need to forget about that query and move onto my next one.

With any luck, it'll be a whole four hours before I check my inbox again.

If You're Not Confident, Fake It

There's something comforting about sending out a whole manuscript. Sure, if they don't want it, it means complete and total rejection of your topic, and maybe even your writing. But if they DO want it - well. That's it, complete elation, end of story.

This month I'm working on a different type of story that not only involves cold calling potential sources (gulp), but also requires that I send out a query before the story's completed. That means:
1. They could want my story!...until they see it
2. I could estimate 550 words and end up needing 950. Or vice versa.
3. They may want additional information, which I can't obtain.

All of this is assuming, of course, that they even want the story. Funny how the scary thoughts have taken over right when I'm about to send the dang query in. Some might call it fear of success, but I think it's more a fear of dissappointing the editors. Whatever it is, it's NOT confident. So I've decided to pretend I am and email it anyways.

The worst they can say is yes.

Two More Resources for Magazine Writers

On Saturday I schlepped through the rain along with 25 other writers, to get advice from the director of the writing program at Manhattanville College.

Along with some good old encouragement ("persistance is nine-tenths of acceptance; publishing is a numbers game"), she suggested a few resources that she and her writing students have found helpful. And nope, it's not the standard suggestion of the Writer's Market!:

Little Magazines and Small Presses - the "Writer's Market" for literary magazines and small publications...although many of these markets don't pay.

Mediabistro - magazines list job opening here, and I've been told that for an annual fee, the site also provide up-to-date writer's guidelines and market needs, straight from the editors' mouths. I haven't found this particular service yet-

And for fiction writers, a few great short story collections:
Immediate Fiction
The Pushcart Prize compilation
The O. Henry Prize Stories

For writers in general:
Brenda Ueland's If You Want to Write