Donna Maree Hanson, Author, Phd in Creative Writing

I can’t seem to help myself. I’ve been writing and submitting work. It is funny but stories I wrote a while ago and gave up on have found a home. One story that I submitted and was rejected once has finally found a home. I remember getting it critiqued and I must have revised it because when I dug it out the story wasn’t bad. I recall being ashamed that I submitted it because I really respected the editor and felt embarrassed that she hated the story.

I revised it, of course, changed a few things, however, there was nothing really wrong with it. A few years distance and I have no idea why I never submitted it again. I had this idea that it sucked. I guess that must be part of the ‘I really suck crisis thing’  that writers can go through.I know I went through that, really went deep into a dark place wondering if I should give up. Somewhere along the line I didn’t give up because I am still here, still writing and well maybe I should make 2010 my year. Doing okay so far with 4 short stories coming out.

Also, the other thing to realise is that this story, Warning Buoy, really fit what the editor was looking for. SF space horror. So a lesson to remember is find the right place to send your work.

Another story that has had a lot of positive feedback but no home was The Clean Streets of Oberest. The main problem I had with this story was that people liked the story but there was something about the ending that wasn’t quite doing it. I submitted it on Friday to an anthology, after revising it of course. During the night I had an idea about how to elaborate on the ending. I did not change it but I did take time to explain a crucial point in dialogue. Today I heard back that the story is in. The editor liked the original but said that my revision closed the deal. I am very happy to have that story in print. Again, this story has a creature in it, not a werewolf or anything commonplace, and the editor was looking for new creatures.

Now I have to work a bit harder and submit to paying markets and aim for semi pro magazines  (and Pro?) etc. I like writing short stories but my passion is really novel length. I have been known to write longer shorts, Green, green grass of homeworld is nearly 10,000 words, which is to appear in Belong by Ticonderoga Publications, is quite a long story for me. The only other short that was that long became a novela of 29,000 words (that is currently being looked at somewhere). I really got into that story and feel that I could write some longer SF stories and maybe a novela.