The analogy has been made that a writer’s stories and poems are like their children. The creative process can be a difficult one as is much of childbirth. Also, like when a parent’s child is treated poorly by someone else, we get defensive or worse when our work is criticized. I’m going to take it a step further.

How many of you had a conversation like this when you were kids:

Brother: You got a bigger piece of cake than me.
Sister: So?
Brother: Why should get a bigger piece than me?
Sister: Because I’m mom’s favorite.

I can’t speak for actual parents because I’m not one, but as a writer I can absolutely attest that while I like all of my finished stories and poems, there are certain ones I like the best.

With this in mind I have another phenomenon at work that I wonder if other writers experience and that is, the pieces of mine I like best are the hardest to get published. Understand that I’m a small-timer. When I say published I’m including any for-the-love market as well as paying ones. I haven’t reached the level where I get paid too often and it usually isn’t much so published to me is anyone who reads what I have to offer and likes it enough to present it in their magazine, ezine, anthology or blog.

Again and again I am presented with the conundrum of why my favorite pieces have the hardest time finding a home. An example, two stories from my book “The Spaces between Your Screams”: the first is called Magic Hands. It’s only a few pages long and a simple concept. I like it but know it’s not great or earth shaking. The first place I submitted it to years ago accepted it. Unfortunately the zine folded before they could publish it. I sent it back out and the second place accepted it also. It was published and a few years later I sent it out as a reprint and it was accepted again quickly. I’m thrilled that so many people enjoyed the story, I just wasn’t expecting it.

The second story is one of my oldest, The Sobriety Test. I wrote the first draft back in 1984 and kept updating and rewriting until I was very fond of it. I believed, and still do, that it is well written with a layer of dark humor and good imagery. When I started sending it out into the world I was positive it would find its place easily. Ten rejections later I was scratching my head at the problem. At fifteen rejections I was scouring the pages for mistakes, plot holes, bad adjective usage, overuse of metaphor, anything. Twenty rejections and I was numb. About half the rejections didn’t say why, the other half said things that made no sense to me. I would read their opinion then re-read the story, inevitably throwing my hands in the air screaming “What are you talking about?!” The rejection total hit 21, the highest of any of my stories, before The Sobriety Test was accepted.

This has been on my mind because it’s happening again. I have an alien/zombie/vampire/sundry mythological beings/humor mash-up that I absolutely love. I first sent it to a paying market where the editor said it “didn’t grab her”. I thought, “It literally has nearly everything but the kitchen sink in it, what do you need to be grabbed?” My second attempt was met with a “the satire didn’t flow well and felt forced” which I just don’t get either.

Oh well. Time to tuck my little pen and ink kids into bed for the night. Tomorrow is another day and the next editor is a potential fan.