100 things #37 - self doubt

[jana_denardo]

{Take the 100 Things challenge!}

All authors end up with a little of it (unless perhaps those a wee bit too overconfident). I was absolutely thrilled last week to hear Dreamspinner Press has a steampunk open call. I still am in many ways but today that confidence took a minor hit.

I know better than to read reviews but I do it anyhow. It's not the people who come on and rate it down just because they hate the subject matter (why they even bother is a post for another time). It's the ones that said "I enjoyed this but it felt like it should be longer" or the "I looked around to see if there is more in this verse because this feels like there should be."

I don't just get that from reviewers. I hear it often in rejection letters. I don't do short stories tremendously well. I don't think they're bad. People wouldn't buy them if they were but I DO feel there is merit in the whole 'it feels like too much story for a short story." Many of my short stories do end up never getting sent in and turned into something longer.

I think the only reason I write them at all is to keep my name out there while I work on the longer works. They are good for that. They're also good for honing my skills. You have to make the words really count.

I think that the steampunk might be the only short I do this coming year however.