I'm closed to queries till the end of the year (but the prep for re-opening is underway, don't you worry my pretties!) however I've got my eyeball on some of you, particularly those of you who enter the writing contests here.
What with one thing and another I end up in brief email exchanges with a lot of you who win and end up following you on Twitter or otherwise keeping you on my radar.
Which explains why I was sauntering around Michael Seese's blog the other day and found this post about submitting something every single day of October.
That's an amazing goal, made more amazing by achieving it.
It's not a sustainable pace but that's not the point. The point is to get stuff out there, and he did.
The Fabulous Jeff Somers sends out one short story every month, and has done so every month every year since he's been 19. Jeff is NOT 19 anymore. In fact, I think he's near to double that.
And he gets published. And honored. And read.
There's a new rule for writers about being tenacious. This is one good way to BE tenacious.
I was going to call it the Nelson DeMille rule, but the hell with that. Mr. DeMille is famous enough without any help from me. I think we should call that rule the Michael Seese Rule. Whaddaya think?
19 comments:
WOW...what an inspirational post. I am incorporating the Michael Seese rule onto my calender.
(You may not be able to tell the font is green)
Cheers Hank.
Long live the Seese-way.
I love the word tenacious.
I’m so tenacious that I kept a pair of size 8 slacks in the bottom my cedar chest for thirty-five years. I finally got back into them 2 years ago, (I lost 92 lbs.). Can’t wear them though, they permanently smell like the bottom of a gerbil cage.
I’m so tenacious that I just posted a list of qualifiers required for writing a book. (I’m a by-liner dreaming of a title page). I mention you twice.
I’m so tenacious that I keep entering your contests, (missed the most recent because I had a baby shower for my daughter last weekend). The heck with tenacious, I’M GOING TO BE A NANA!
So this is how it's done! What a brilliant idea to set a goal for just one month. No doubt took some doing but it's inspired me to do the same. January 2014 will be my month for being tenacious. This month (and next) I'm busy losing 14lbs; looking for a way to stop the dog from shedding mountains of hair, and getting my head round the sequel to Notes on a Rebellion. Tenacious is my middle name!
Excellent work, Michael!
A few years ago, I participated in a group called Write 1 Sub 1 - it's based on a theory of Ray Bradbury's and the idea is to write and sub something every week or every month.
I've recently started using a method author Victoria Schwab mentioned, using a calendar and stickers. It's fun and makes me feel productive. :)
That is so impressive, and I am in awe of the achievement. Tenacity, I have to admit, is not one of my natural strengths. But I'm working on it, and examples like Michael give me hope!
Tenacity occupies the opposite end of the universe to procrastination — with impossible good luck slung from a glitzy hammock between the two.
Its merits deserve trumpeting.
Michael Seese - where are you? On the floor? I'd be laid out if anyone ever said what you said about Michael Seese. On the floor and unable to coordinate my brain and fingers to provide any sort of intelligent response.
Yes, from this point on, when you refer to the Michael Seese rule, we will know what you mean.
I just have to add another nickel's worth. What Michael did is amazing.
When I first jumped on FB I decided to post a QQ, Quotable Quote, every day. I figured coming up with a one liner everyday would be easy. At first it was and then synapse atrophy set in. I made it through 42 days before I skipped a day, then posted one a week and now I can't remember the last time I enlightened FB with my latest BS.
Sending out your stuff everyday is one thing but writing the volume it takes is awesome. Hats off, pants off, whatever, you are my hero.
I agree - tenacity is a big piece of the game. It lets you shake off rejection and keep focused on the next goal. Long live the Michael Seese Rule!
A brilliant idea, a brilliant goal, and accomplishing it? Brilliant. This is a well-deserved honorific. I'm sure you made Michael's day (or thirty) by recognizing it.
I used to think I was stubborn. I'm going to change that to tenacious.
First I'd have to polish the bejeezus out of 31 shorts to be able to send them out every day in a month. Some of the things I have...no, wouldn't want the reputation they would garner in current state.
At least I know that, right? That's good, right?
(Now I've got the Tenacious D song "Tribute" in my head, because it was apparently the thing my brain took the least time to reach on the subject of tenacity. Oy.)
All --
OK, so I've spent the last few hours on cloud 99. A huge thanks to all of you -- and Janet, especially -- for your kind words. I'm humbled. Truly humbled.
I'm not ashamed to say I've read this post 5 or 6 times, and each time it brings a smile to my face. I may have to get it tattooed somewhere. (Don't tell my wife.)
If I may point you to something on my blog, NOT to boast, but to encourage....
As I was seeing all of this "stuff" getting accepted, I thought I should create a bibliography page on my blog. If you look at it, basically anything dated on or after October and all of the TBDs (save for A Lifetime Ago, Miniature Book MicroText Anthology) were the result of this month-long effort. And according to my handy-dandy tracking spreadsheet, I still have 9 "things" pending. Further, I would remiss if I did not point out that under Fiction / Short Story Anthologies, 5 of the 7 were born as the result of one of Janet's contest. Said another way, Janet's contests are not an end; they are a beginning.
I've often said that I've found the online author community to be so gracious and generous. Today only reaffirms that.
Incredible achievement, Michael. Congratulations. The Michael Seese Rule is great. I like that bit about the contests being a beginning. More words of wisdom from Michael Seese. Thank you. And Thank you, Ms. Reid, for bringing all this to our attention.
I scampered off to congratulation Mr. Seese on FB and discovered, that I WAS WRONG and REMISS.
*friend request sent*
And congrats delivered (as they should be.)
Terri
Thanks to Michael, Janet, and all of the great writers in this community. I've learned so much from each of you. I wasn't able to enter the last writing contest, but I'm looking forward to future ones. Gotta work on my Michael Seese tenacity!
Wow, Michael. Congrats! I love following fellow writer blogs, so you have another follower :)
Undoubtedly, your contests do help, Janet. I love the competitive nature in having to write a story in 100 words or less, 5 of which I did not choose and compare it with fellow shark followers - all of whom write the most entertaining stories.
I find I write better for your competitions than when I'm working on an actual project. I even thought of opening this up to my Facebook/blog followers - writing a story a week, and each week one follower would pick the 5 words. This post on tenacity has given me the kick in the but to do it.
Michael Seese will you marry me...oh wait I already am. I'm too old for you anyway. I'm too old for me.
What a cool coincidence! I did the same thing, and called it Submit All The Things October :)
3 artist residency apps
2 workshop proposals
17 literary magazines
1 academic journal
2 commercial magazines
2 radio pitches
1 chapbook contest
1 fiction contest
1 proposal for online class on Get Your Work Published in Literary Magazines :)
I'm at 6 1/2 accepts (one of the radio pitches went to story meeting but didn't get picked up), 2 rejects, and everything else is still out there.
Cool Part #1 - individual rejections sting less when I have 30 other pieces out there.
Cool Part #2 - I came up with so many new ideas for stories and articles, based on what magazines and journals were looking for. I wrote a couple of new pieces and have notes for quite a few more.
I'd recommend it!
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