Author: SteppeLively
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My Writing Journey #4: We’re Back Baby!
Oh hello check-in! He he, well, um, if you’re looking at dates, you’ll note that the most recent post was in April. My intended posting schedule got a little blown up. Why? The answer is technology and WordPress updates. Updates, not for my website, but rather my spouse’s website for his business. His website hadn’t…
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#TheTalk
Sunshine turned eight years old in February. I say this only for age context. She and I have been reading the Scholomance Trilogy by Naomi Novik together. By this, I mean I have read the entire trilogy and have been reading the books aloud to Sunshine. I figured the books would be something she would…
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Rejection #2 – Response
After receiving my first rejection of the year, I sent the story “The Hardest Part of Love” out again on March 1, 2026. On March 12, 2026 at 11:31am I received my response. I was working – well I was in a zoom meeting about the future of my organization as our world is changing…
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My Writing Journey #3: Checking In
Y’all I almost missed my first check-in! As of this posting, I’ve submitted stories 8 times and received 5 rejections. I’m well on my way to having my most prolific year in terms of submission. Up to this point, the only year previously with more submissions was 2022 when I sent my science fiction manuscript…
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Rejection #1 – Response
On January 28, 2026, I sent out my first submission of the year. Nearly two weeks later, I received my first rejection letter of the year. I had read to expect a response within 5-8 days, so as the days crept by past that 8-day mark, my expectations went super wonky. Should I expect an…
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World in the Box of My Mind
A lot of little kids have imaginary friends – constructed personalities they interact with and likely (I presume) reflect the kids’ desires, dreams, fears, and anxieties. I’m sure many highly qualified scholars have written at great length about this phenomenon, enough to fill a moderately sized library, so I’m not expanding on that. I’ve never…
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Query Goals
This year, my amazing community group KanMoWriCo has put together a new leaderboard of sorts on TrackBear. We’re not tracking words written, hours spent writing, or even chapters completed. We’re tracking our rejections. Let’s be blunt. Rejections hurt. No matter how much I know I will get rejections, no matter how many stories I read…
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Beautiful Blue Eyes
“What a beautiful little person you are. And you have blue eyes. That makes it even better.” The older white lady who complimented my six-month-old child meant well. She saw us sitting at a table in a coffee shop, Sunshine bouncing on dad’s lap, and she wanted to let us know our child was beautiful.…
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My Writing Journey #2: The State of My Journey
So we talked about my earliest experiences with writing, but where am I right now? As of writing this, I have submitted a handful of short stories for publication – all rejected without feedback. I have a complete manuscript of my science fiction novel. I have submitted it to agents – rejected every time. I…
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My Writing Journey #1: Always Changing, Always the Same
I am not at the very start of my personal writing journey. That started long ago. I was very small, entranced by mom’s portable computer. Portable computer, not a laptop. That sucker needed a table – or the largest shelf in the home: the floor. When mom would allow it, I would haul that massive…