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Our second chat about submissions is THIS FRIDAY, June 3, at 3pm ET (noon for me in CA). We'll focus on "Where to Submit."

To read all the Tips for Developing Submission Habits, here are the links:

TIP #1: SET A FIRM AND REASONABLE SUBMISSION GOAL

http://www.shewrites.com/profiles/blogs/tips-for-developing-submission

TIP #2: HAVE A LIST OF PLACES TO SUBMIT

http://www.shewrites.com/profiles/blogs/tips-for-developing-submission-1

TIP #3: DON’T LET REJECTIONS OR ACCEPTANCES SLOW YOU DOWN

http://www.shewrites.com/profiles/blogs/tips-for-developing-submission-2

TIP #4: HAVE ENVELOPES AND STAMPS ON HAND

http://www.shewrites.com/profiles/blogs/tips-for-developing-submission-3

TIP #5: CONSIDER SUBMISSION AS PART OF YOUR LARGER WRITING LIFE

At the most basic level, this tip is a reminder that submission isn’t really a distinct task in and of itself. Most simply put, if you’re not writing, you’re not generating anything to submit. I’m trying to consider the relationship I want to establish between my writing time and my submission habits.

One SheWriter pointed out that, when something needs to be written, it needs to be written. That may well delay the submitting you’d planned to do. Sometimes, that’s fine. The danger is that you will find things—not just writing—to throw you off the regular submission habit you are trying to establish. If you find yourself doing something else week after week instead of submitting, that’s a problem. When I find myself doing dishes even though there are poems awaiting envelopes and stamps, I’m probably procrastinating. It’s not bad to have clean dishes, but if my house is clean for an entire week, my writing life is probably not going very well.

Another SheWriter who’s working on a novel wondered whether she should keep sending out a story, which may take months for a response and even longer for publication, or whether she should publish herself online to get her work out there. I see this as a multi-pronged question related to submissions: What is the relationship among multiple writing projects? How do writers think about time and timing? What are the relative benefits and drawbacks of traditional and self-publishing and of a combination of the two? These questions are too sweeping to address adequately in this post but are worth pondering as we move forward individually and together.

Recently, author Pico Iyer talked about having four or so writing projects going on at once, each at a different stage. That way, he doesn’t feel stuck working on one particular thing on a given day. This juggling of projects also allows him to work differently when he needs to, as when he’s traveling. Another writer advocated having 13 ideas or projects of varying sizes going—13 elevator pitches of sorts—just because you never know what’s going to succeed. I’m worried I have too many ideas and obligations, but I see now how that’s important, even if you sometimes must concentrate on getting one thing finished. I need to consider The Submission Mission as one of my projects, not something that gets squeezed out by projects.

I have a friend who published an article a couple of years ago, got a call from an agent asking to see a book proposal, but didn’t have anything close to ready. She’s since been working on a nonfiction book and recently published an article related to it because she has a manuscript almost ready. Another friend, after getting a rejection with comments, was revising in a frenzy and was ready to recycle a story if it didn’t get accepted the next time out. Then another of her stories won a prize, and her frustration is greatly alleviated. Timing matters, but it’s not always predictable.

A novelist friend of mine, who isn’t opposed to self-publishing for some projects, worries that, if a writer turns to that option too early, it undercuts ambition. I can see his point: there’s something rigorous about an editorial process external to myself that motivates me and pushes me beyond what I can already do comfortably. Getting out of the obligation to submit shouldn’t be the motivation for me to self-publish. Yet, I write a blog, which is self-publishing, and find it a great way to test ideas, meet a regular writing deadline, and know whether someone is reading my work.

Sometimes, we put on blinders. Maybe we need to focus on finishing a particular piece. Maybe we need to outline the next big project. After I had drafted this Tip #5, a Facebook friend mentioned that she had blinders when it comes to the most prestigious periodicals, like The New Yorker and Poetry. When she was first sending things out, those venues seemed out of reach, so she didn’t submit. Other Facebook friends pointed out that many of the top periodicals don’t want simultaneous submissions (The New Yorker wants exclusive time to consider submissions), so they cross them of their lists. But my friend wondered whether she had crossed these magazines off her list initially for the right reasons but left them off her list without thinking it through again now that she has a publication record.

The Submission Mission is a chance to look around, survey the landscape, and decide how we want to participate in the big picture. The point is that submissions are part of a complicated writing life, and it’s important to figure out how submitting fits into our writing time and our long-term goals.