New Short Story, "Buried Fish," a Reflection on Rejections, & a prompt

Vibe: spooky, sardonic, romantic

Rejections: 5

The story was: the prince found you with hope and a single glass slipper.

As if he’d be fucking someone without knowing her name.

Read more at Corvid Queen.

My first response to an acceptance is usually delight. It's a wonderful feeling to know that someone appreciates and wants to champion your work.

When I received this particular acceptance, however, I breathed, perhaps, a decade-long sigh of relief.

I've been writing short stories since I was a teenager, and when I did my MFA in my twenties, that was mainly what I produced. I LOVE short stories. They are extremely challenging and can take years and years to get "right." The first time I wrote a real winner—I knew because my workshop was so positive, and faculty members also told me they admired it—I was elated, and sure it would be the beginning of my career as a published writer.

That was about 7-8 years ago. In reality, I didn't have my first publication until the year before last, and it wasn't even in the fiction genre.

I sent my little story out all over the place, maybe 100 different magazines and journals. At first, the rejections didn't bother me—I knew what to expect. I even had several personal notes from editors I admired (and whose encouragement sustains me to this day). Still, no one wanted to publish it, and as I felt the story was "done" to my satisfaction, I decided to move on.

How many stories came after that? I'd estimate that I wrote another 16 or so in the years after, and most I workshopped and revised multiple times, or even sought feedback from a professional editor.

No one accepted these stories either.

To some people, this might serve as a sign that it's time to give up. Maybe I would have taken it that way had I not been immersed in an art form that teaches me constantly about surprise and serendipity. Or had I not known some extremely talented short story writers who were having the same bad luck.

My relationship with writing transcends any public or professional goals, so I had no desire to stop. Honestly, I wouldn't know how. But I did want to take the pressure off. So I decided to quit being monogamous with fiction, and opened up my writing life to poetry, essays, and collage forms. My first publication was a poem, and my manuscript-in-progress is very much cross-genre.

But... WHEN WILL I GET A SHORT STORY PUBLISHED?????

Ahem. I wrote "Buried Fish," a retelling of Cinderella, back in 2022. I resolved to be appreciative of any and all readers, which included peers in a fiction class, and the audience of a live reading in 2023, where I was asked to share my work and participate in a Q&A for undergraduate writers. If nothing else, flinging this story at the world was sure to help my rejection count.

When Corvid Queen emailed, I had to doublecheck the subject line. ACCEPTANCE.

As grateful as I am to Corvid Queen for supporting my work (and believe me I am) I'm also glad for my long and winding road. The frustration of not getting my fiction published inspired me to try new genres, and led me to people and places I would otherwise not have met.

So let's all say ahhhhhhhhh that I finally have a short story published after so many years! And, you (yes you!): NEVER GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAMS.

Prompt

Retell a fairy tale! Think of it like a cover song: although you have an original source to work with, the real craft comes from making it your own.