It's a decent story I think, not great. Reflective of where I'm at as a writer, which is: out of practice. My beta reader provided a lot of great feedback (Thanks again Mikel!) that helped the story quite a bit.
I think I still like the story at the end of the day. I started to hate the damn thing by the time I submitted. Tired of re-reading and editing it.
A sci-fi publication I enjoy was having an open submission period, and I used that as motivation to get the story done. A goal to reach for. Yesterday, I got the rejection I was expecting.
Sucks a bit, but not at all unexpected. Again, I'm basically back in my fiction writing infancy. The whole process was a way to get my feet wet and get myself back on track to writing. Having the story accepted was a nice-to-have, it wasn't the goal. The goal was writing the story and submitting it AT ALL.
Since I did that, I consider the exercise a win. A major win really. I got off my ass and did something.
That being said, being rejected doesn't feel great even if you were expecting it. I had a cookie to celebrate & soften the blow.
I submitted the story to a second publication, and it took just over 24 hours to be rejected. Stings a *bit* more. BUT, I've already submitted again. I'm 0-2 but still swinging.
