Why is it so hard to start writing, but often do easy to keep going once you start?

Submissions

A few days back I received my most recent rejection for a short story. That's my final one (for now) folks! I have no outstanding submissions, a clean slate.

Hundreds of rejections in, and with several (paid) publications under my belt, I can say that the industry standard of 1-2% acceptance rates seems pretty legit. I'm standing at a 1.5% career "success" rate for submissions. I should say acceptance rate, because I've learned a lot, and gotten a lot of personal feedback (almost 15%, which is much higher than average, I'm told).

I am not planning on subbing short stories anytime soon - I'm not writing new ones at the moment, either.

Right now I'm focusing on novel writing, and of late, getting some serious words on the page.

I'm writing it here first: I hope to have the first draft of a novel finished by the end of 2024.

Who has time to write?

I mean, really, who? With children, a spouse, a full time job, chores, etc... how can we be expected to take on what amounts to a second job to write? Hobbies aren’t a second job, but if you ever want to be a professional writer, you have to take your “hobby” and make a job out of it... killing it as a hobby.

I loved cooking, became a chef, and killed my hobby. I loved brewing, became a brewer, and killed my hobby. I’m not sure I “love” writing. I’m obviously not doing all that much of it in my free time, like I did with cooking and brewing. But I’m pretty good at it. I’d been thinking maybe it was a bright idea to take something I liked doing but didn’t necessarily love doing, and make a job out of that, because it would leave me with hobbies it was easier to build up momentum to do...

but while I think I have the chops to be a writer, I don’t have the will to fight the inertia, or the passion to basically take on another job.

So maybe I’ll never be a writer. I don’t know.

One thing I really hate about being older is how everything piles on everything else, making things a lot harder to shake up or start anew. I don’t want to give up on writing, but having expectations for myself that I’m obviously incapable or unwilling to live up to isn’t healthy, either.

I'm reading two *very* voice-y novels at the moment, and I'm developing serious anxiety about my WIP.

... reminding myself a final draft and a first draft read *very* different.

I'm starting a book I've never read by one of my favorite authors tonight.

And it isn't disappointing.

I love that feeling.

I sent out two new short story submissions a couple of hours back. Is it too soon to be looking for feedback?

A good reframing for "I should be writing."

Let's just say, Denture Dan is not the kind of guy whose name you want to say three times in front of the mirror.

Let's just say, Denture Dan is not the kind of guy whose name you want to say three times in front of the mirror.

I just made my first short story sale of 2022!

Writing progress for tonight:

1 new submission

5 queries for a story I submitted simultaneously on 10/31 - lots of radio silence there...

I just realized how ecumenical I am in my reading choices. I made a list of the books I'm currently reading, and it really does cross the bookstore widely.

Roots - classic, well-researched historical fiction

Supervillain's Guide to being a Fat Kid - MG about body positivity and "goodness"

American Spy - spy book in the African diaspora

Trashlands - post-apocalyptic

Golden Son - second in a SciFi/Space Opera series

The High Season - beach read thriller

Emma - classic English novel

Sum - flash fiction/poetry/parables about the afterlife

All In - biography of Billie Jean King

My “writing” for this evening consisted of going over the editorial notes for a short story that is being published this spring and making necessary changes.

I followed that up with reading the submissions from both of the guys in my writing group before our meeting Sunday.

That was topped off with going over the preliminary notes that one of them made on my submission.

Now it is time for bed, and a book.

One in, One out

I just had my heart broken by a 107 day rejection from a market that averages 20 days per rejection, and rejects more than 99% of its submissions.

Someday soon I will look upon this as an accomplishment. I made it pretty far.

In response, I just submitted the story to a new market. 107 days is long enough for this story to be in limbo. This story cannot be allowed even one day lying fallow. It needs to see print. It will see print.

I made 10 new short story submissions tonight. I am feeling productive!

Can my son ethically play tennis?

An open letter to the leadership of the International Tennis Federation,

My family enjoys watching tennis. My son has been playing tennis for much of his life. We started him before he turned three - his inherent athleticism convincing his coaches that he was ready to start before his third birthday, when their classes usually begin. A year in, and he was continuing to play with kids more than year older than him, often acting as his coach's demonstration assistant. Our family went to The Western & Southern Open in 2019 to see the pros play, and he impressed the children's coaches there with his ability. We love tennis. And he is a potential competitor.

With Covid ravaging our country, we've unfortunately had to take him out of tennis lessons. We were preparing to re-enroll him once his sister can be vaccinated, though at the moment she's ineligible at only three years old. We're working as a family to keep her safe, and we're working to keep our neighbors safe as well.

Recently, Covid found our family, even though we've done everything we can to keep ourselves and others healthy. We've given up a lot, and it is pretty bleak to feel like all we've given up wasn't enough; it has been hard seeing people flout public safety and being unwilling to sacrifice anything for our youngest and most susceptible members.

We were proud of the WTA's recent stance against the Chinese government - we felt like tennis was taking a stand for justice.

But now, your willingness to allow Djokovic to play has us baffled.

How can you send my children the message that my daughter's health doesn't matter to society? How can you allow a player who openly flouts rules and endangers people repeatedly to play with those who are taking care of their neighbors? How am I supposed to explain this to my son? Djokovic can endanger children like his sister, who is now sick with Covid, and yet Djokovic can play with everybody else?

After Covid is over, how can I justify to myself that my daughter - let alone my son - can ethically play tennis?

The Women's Tennis Association has done right by Peng Shuai and tennis players everywhere. Our sisters have made an ethical example for you to follow. Do the right thing here, and send the right message to all the kids who will watch tennis in the coming weeks.

Otherwise, I feel like you'll just become another of the millions of people who have forgotten our society's youngest and most susceptible members. And my children will have no place in that version of tennis.

Sincerely,

Brian Lonberg