| How Not To Get Published
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| | up.
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| | What defines a great story? That depends
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| If someone had told me in 2000 that I'd
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| | on which reader youask. If you're writing
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| publish four books in
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| | a story that moves you, someonesomewhere
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| 2001, I'd have called him an eejit.
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| | with similar tastes will like it. Some
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| The last time I'd been published was
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| | stories willbe more popular than others,
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| 1989, and that doesn'tcount because I
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| | but almost every story will beconsidered
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| paid someone to do it. I'd long since
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| | great by someone. But if it's badly
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| given upon getting published again. In
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| | written, thereader will simply put the
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| fact, I doubted I'd ever writeagain.
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| | book down and read something else.
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| By now you may wonder how I made it from
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| | As a teenaged author, gathering up enough
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| Point A to Point B.
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| | rejection slips towallpaper the room, I
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| Or for that matter, why I stopped
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| | didn't give up. I just got arrogant
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| writing.
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| | anddecided "You don't understand me, ya
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| The second part is simple. I was chasing
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| | eejit." That's nosolution. Nor is paying
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| money, becoming ahigh-powered businessman
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| | to be published.
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| and losing myself. The first part isa
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| | Nope, if you want to get published, learn
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| little more difficult to explain.
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| | how to tell yourstory. Spelling, grammar,
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| In December 1999, I flew to Hong Kong for
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| | punctuation, pacing, dialogue... allthat
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| a vacation. Thefirst vacation in my life,
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| | stuff you may have slept through in high
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| really. I intended to stay for amonth.
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| | school will becomesecond nature with
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| Instead, I married an Australian who
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| | enough practice.
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| taught English there.
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| | I did quite well in high school English,
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| I quit my job in North Carolina by email.
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| | by the way, but it'snot like they taught
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| I found myself unable to legally work in
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| | pacing and dialogue and real
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| Hong Kong. So what was
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| | story-telling there. To learn those,
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| I to do with my time? I dusted off a
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| | you've gotta read. But that's noproblem
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| childhood dream and resumedwriting.
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| | for an author. If you don't enjoy
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| I had a slush pile full of old short
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| | reading, you can'twrite something that
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| stories, and I ran themthrough the
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| | others will enjoy reading.
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| on-line writing workshops. There are two
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| | Also, you must listen to the criticisms.
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| parts towriting--story and style. I
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| | Accept some andreject others, but always
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| wasn't changing my stories--they camefrom
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| | listen. I believe the Internet makesit
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| me and were what I wanted to write--but
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| | much easier to get those criticisms.
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| my style waspathetic. Style is also the
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| | I work as an editor now, and one of my
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| part that can be learned. So I did.
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| | authors told me that hesees movies inside
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| Then came something that amazed me. New
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| | his head. It shows in his writing! I
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| stories. Mixing with the
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| | don'twrite that way, unfortunately, but I
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| "writing culture" got my creative juices
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| | still know how he feels.
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| flowing again. After allthose years.
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| | When "the Muse" pays me a visit, I've
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| Better than ever, in fact.
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| | gotta write it down asfast as it comes to
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| Next, I published them. Between March and
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| | me. That's the one part that can't
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| December 2000, Ipublished twenty stories
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| | bepackaged, taught or mass-produced. That
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| in twenty different e-zines. I onlymade
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| | part comes from you,the author, and no
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| $6, but I was building my resume. I
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| | one else can do it the way that you do.
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| believed that I had ashort story
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| | Kurt Vonnegut, whose works I greatly
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| anthology in me, and I'd decided to try
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| | admire, writes onesentence at a time, and
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| publishingit. I felt I needed a "track
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| | makes each one perfect before hebegins
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| record," so I got one.
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| | the next. But I don't write like that,
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| I also had a novel in my slush pile. A
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| | nor do most ofthe authors I know. We just
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| gripping imaginativestory, badly told.
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| | let it fly, then go back and fixit later.
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| But I'd finally learned about the craft,
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| | But if you don't want to get published,
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| thestructure, and the hard work that
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| | don't go back and fixit. Pass that raw
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| comes after that originalflash of
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| | copy around to your friends and family
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| inspiration.
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| | andlet them tell you how wonderful it is
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| You see where I'm leading by now. I wrote
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| | for fear of hurting yourfeelings. Then
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| two new novels, andsigned contracts to
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| | send it to the publishers and collect
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| publish all three novels plus the
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| | therejection letters. That's what I did
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| newshort story collection in 2001.
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| | in my younger days, and Iwasn't
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| It's a common sight among new writers,
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| | published.
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| and really it's a bitsad. People who have
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| | It took me twenty years to learn my
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| the story--the part that can't
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| | lesson. It would genuinelymake me feel
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| belearned--but tell it badly. They rush
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| | good to hear that most writers aren't
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| in on the adrenalinehigh that authors
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| | takingquite so long.
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| know so well, then get rejected and give
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