Sihdaahn: anything will do

At times, Cantonese phrases get abbreviated.  For example, "si-mouh-geih-daahn" means "without restraint of any kind."  The shortened term becomes sihdaahn.

Please accept my submission.

When I think about submissions, I'm in a sihdaahn mode.  Any positive response will uplift me.  Last month, I participated in Khara House's Submit-O-Rama challenge.  For October, I queried three literary magazines a week, for a total of 15 entries.

Here are my results: 1 acceptance, 1 return to sender, and 13 non-responses.
 As an added bonus, I also did some extra submissions in October:
-1 flash fiction contest (winners not determined yet)
-1 short story contest (winners not determined yet) 
-1 pitch slam for my completed manuscript (2 partial requests).  Out of the two sent, one decided to pass.
-7 literary agents via query letters (1 full request then rejection, 6 non-responses) 

Looking back on Khara's challenge, I found submitting to magazines quite addictive.  Maybe it's because I invested less time in my shorter works, or because I went in with low expectations.  Submitting feels like fishing; it requires patience and a lot of waiting, but when you reel in a catch, the flood of pride and achievement overwhelms you.

  

Comments (2)

On November 5, 2012 at 1:25 PM , Unknown said...

You are doing great! I am so impressed - you went to the writer's conference and took Khara's challenge. Good for you!

 
On November 5, 2012 at 4:00 PM , Jennifer Chow said...

Thanks! With the holidays coming up, though, I might relax a little these next few months.