Rare is the month that I get something published. Rejected? That’s about every month. But acceptance is a rare and wonderful moment.
So, getting two stories published in one week is as foreign to me as Ethiopia.
Imagine the surprise when I discovered this evening that I had a flash fiction piece accepted and published on The Drabble Thursday, January 18. That’s two stories in one week if you’re scoring at home, which I am.
Also, to keep you updated, I’m working on my third story of my Year of Writing One Story Per Week. Tentatively titled “Stuck,” I’m at 2,500 words and I’m not liking where it’s going. I’m tempted to retitle it “Suck” if this keeps up. The story has completely ignored my outline and taken off for parts unknown. Exciting at first, but now it’s pissing me off and I can’t wrangle it in.
Anyway, now that two stories have been accepted, I have only one out on submission. It’s with Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, so pretty much a guarantee of Rejection there, but you can’t win if you don’t enter, right? Hope you enjoy my story on The Drabble. If you do, feel free to “Like” it while you’re there. Thanks!
JD Frain 
I hit the like there, and here too! Congrats John! You’re on a roll!
As to the current story careening off on it’s own…it happens. This is where writers are supposed to say, “I let the characters lead the way.” Sometimes the characters are clueless. Sometimes the characters are like Wiley Coyote and have run off the cliff and are now hanging for that split second before they flatten themselves on a very hard, unforgiving ground.
Not being able to wrangle it back in sounds like you’ve written yourself into a corner – or have gone so far off the outline, it’s now toast. BUT. If you don’t like the story, back it up to the point you last liked it. Take a good hard look at it. Save the SUCK draft, and start afresh at the STUCK draft and that likeable point.
You probably know all this, but sometimes when someone else tells me what I already know – it confirms I’m right. And I like to be right. 🙂
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Congrats! So exciting. Good luck with Alfred Hitchcock, you’re on a roll!
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Congrats, John! You’re on a roll, keep it going.
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