Ah, home working
I’ve also been working very, very hard on not giving up when it comes to putting pen to paper. That’s not just in the last year, that one’s been taking a lot longer, but it’s finally been starting to pay off. I submitted no less than eight stories to the great Gutter, one after another, before I handed in one they liked enough to print this summer. Obviously, it would have felt good to have an immediate acceptance, but I think it was even better to have to try and try again. It certainly felt pretty sweet when I got the email.
The same feeling is hitting me this month, when I found out I’d been successful in securing a New Writers Award from the Scottish Book Trust. This is not the first year I’ve applied, it’s not even the second, and yes, I was a little bit crushed every time I didn’t make it, but if I hadn’t been willing to keep trying, well, I wouldn’t have got it this year.
Perseverance definitely pays off, but I do also think you have to be gentle with yourself. This year, I’ve mainly been working on a novel and I decided that while I was, I’d cut back on the number of short story submissions I was sending out. Why? Because I knew I wouldn’t be able to handle the inevitable flood of rejections while I was trying to work on something bigger. I was worried they’d make me lose faith when I needed to work in a bubble. It’s been good for me but it’s temporary. I always knew you had to keep slamming those keys no matter what, but now I’m completely convinced that if you keep trying hard enough, things will work out one way or another when it comes to words.
Lynsey May 
Well done on your well earned success Lynsey! It’s always inspiring to hear about the hard work of other writers paying off in the long term. I submitted to Gutter once and was rejected. I also applied for the first time this year for the New Writers Award and whilst disappointed at not getting anywhere, your experience of resubmitting and reapplying has given me encouragement to try again next year. The only doubt I would have about the New Writers award application process is that without any feedback on why I was unsuccessful, it’s difficult to know how to work on my weaknesses. Best of luck with your novel writing and short stories in 2013!
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Thanks Helen! You should definitely try again next year, I know a few other people who’ve been successful after submitting several years in a row. It sounds like you’ve been working hard and doing well, so just keep going and I hope you have a great 2013.
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Congratulations! You’re so right that perseverance is as important as talent in getting published and you definitely have both!
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Cheers Fiona! Yup, if you’ve got t in you to keep banging your head off a brick wall, you’re more than half way there.
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You’re the best, Lynsey.
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: D
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Congratulations on the New Writers Award, Lynsey – it’s well-deserved.
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Thanks Helen!
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Congratulations! You’re right, perseverance is the key to getting where you want to be. And a rather good motto. If I did embroidery…
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I’m now hoping for embroidered mottoes for the next meeting…
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Congratulations on the award and on your continuing success as a freelancer. Perseverence really does pay off. I started the year working part-time as a copy-editor/proofreader and in October went full-time, and I’m now starting to see an increase in the amount of work I’m getting. Good luck for the New Year and keep on keeping on!
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Thanks Richard and well done for taking the plunge and making a success of it. Hope it’s bringing you all the extra job satisfaction and time you were hoping for.
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