Maybe They Got Lost in the Mail?

Yeah, sure. Well, I can forgive myself for making up reasons why I haven't heard back from the various submissions I've made yet. Actually, in the case of the publisher and agent who requested my 3 chapters and synopsis, it has only been 2.5 months. So, I can't reasonably get antsy. But I'm not a reasonable person, I guess. I am to the point of having a flash-of-fear reaction every time I open my mailbox, hoping I won't find the dreaded envelope containing my returned chapters. Or, in the case of the email submission I made, I momentarily cringe when opening my email box. Are all writers such nervous nellies? Or maybe it's the part of me that loves to bask in the illusion of control. Or, maybe the delusion of control. I also sent off a short story to be considered for an anthology and should hear something within the next 30 days. I'm exploring other options, just in case.

This is definitely a reality check. I think I got a false impression of the nature of things by winning the first contest I entered, and missing finaling in the next two contests by one- and five-points respectively. I thought, gee. This isn't so hard. Right. Then, in the next contest, I got one really nasty series of comments from one of the judges (the not having one h/h thing again), and crucified by one judge in yet another contest for being too introspective. Apparently, the Writing Goddess has decided to show me the other side of the coin. That's OK. I've decided to take a break from contests (is that sour grapes or wisdom, I wonder??), unless they have a "with romance elements" category. Gotta go check the mail now.