Robert Heinlein is credited with coining the Rules of Writing:
- You must write.
- You must finish what you write.
- You must not rewrite except to editorial order.
- You must submit what you finish.
- You must keep submitting until the story is sold.
I’m not too conscientious about 1, a bit iffy about 2, but 4 and 5 I’ve taken to heart with extreme prejudice*. I’ve been in the story submission game for over 21 years now. Today, for the first time in 15 years, I have not a single story out on submission.
In all that time, I’ve sold 52 stories (42 English originals, 3 Dutch originals, and 7 of my own translations into either Dutch or English) and three novels, all by stubbornly resubbing them the very day a rejection came in. Added up, these stories and novels collected 306 rejections, and spent 27,322 days in their various slush piles, before getting accepted.
I’ve retired five stories and a poem that are probably beyond salvation (though I may yet return to some of them). I’ve taken one rejected novel and reworked it into my 2nd novel (appearing Jan 2024).
Which leaves only four stories that I deem completed, and that I would have liked to sell, but that have unfortunately run out of markets to send them to.
Heinlein was right.
* And 3? 3 is easy. I’m reluctant to even rewrite to editorial order, let alone voluntarily.
