I've hit a dry spell, with nothing of interest to report since April of this year. I've heard rumors of this stage in one's writing development. Where even though one can measure their improvement in miles, and the stories turn out more complex and interesting than ever before, the sales don't come. While I've hit numerous final stages in the submission process at some of the best markets in the industry--which I never could have done early on--the final answers all turn out to be, "no thanks."
It's humbling and depressing, to say the least. But in the end, I have to realize that progress is progress, even if it's unrewarded. The only valid downside is that all this rejection has led to a level of discouragement that makes me not want to write. I still love it, still believe it's a major part of my life, but the thought of investing all that time and energy into something that no one wants is an intimidating prospect. We'll just have to see what the future holds. I'm only two years into a ten year plan, after all.
