Truly, submission in its most humbling of meanings.
Kicked creativity out of first place for a few moments to hunker down with the more serious business of the cover letter in submitting a couple of stories to more than a couple of literary journals (even whilst I pick and prod at the stories themselves). I’ve noticed one big switch in my brain: Voice.
Susie Secretary takes over, and while I may indeed peruse some samples (see what I mean?) of query and submission letters, I would prefer to start with a rough draft of my own to keep it at least on a personally me basis and fresher than something found in a book.
But I’ve taken this first step at least, and have an outline typed up that needs filling in according to both general and journal-specific requirements. The hardest part is the short bio that some require. Do they want me unpublished, or does the weblog, an small-scale publishing of an archery magazine help or hinder? How about that one poem online?
Will they settle for "I’m a nice person and work like a son of a gun?"
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology