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First Story Blues By Carol Kehlmeier I was a beginning writer. I had a wonderful idea for a religious short story. I sat down at my typewriter (before computers) and proceeded to write this beautiful story. After I finished it, reread it, and edited it to perfection, I took out the writers' market book. I was saddened to find few markets for fiction in the Christian category. I found one that accepted short stories the length of mine. The pay was good. This was the publication for me. I retyped it on crisp white paper, and did everything it said to do in the writers' guidelines. Put the required number of stamps on the envelope and put a SASE inside. I didn't want to send a SASE because it was too big for the check, but figured I would do what the guidelines said. At last, it was ready to send. I couldn't wait to receive my check. Much to my disappointment, the manuscript came back in less than a week. How could that be? Teary-eyed with the first story blues, I went back to the market book. I reread the requirements of the magazine that rejected me and realized it was a Baptist publication. My story was about a little girl baptizing a little boy. She did not immerse the boy, but poured water over his head. Suddenly, I felt better. They didn't reject my story, they rejected my theology. I felt so much better. I found a Sunday school paper that accepted my story. The pay wasn't much, but I had a byline and they didn't immerse. Recently, I sold that same story to a much better paying magazine. Knowing markets is as important as what you write. Obeying all the writers' guidelines can't help you if your work is out of line with the publication. Don't send an article about how to raise children to a senior citizen magazine. They know how to raise kids and they're busy spoiling their grandchildren. It isn't always that the article or short story is badly written; many times it doesn't fit their format. We all must like to write or we wouldn't do it. And most of the time writing is enjoyable. The difficult part about writing is marketing. Once you find a market that likes and accepts your work, keep sending them more. But you must keep within what they publish. A good story about a romance won't be accepted by an environmental magazine unless it takes place in the wilderness, surrounded by raccoons and bears. Don't send a short story to a market that says no fiction even if your story is absolutely wonderful. They won't take it and then you'll feel bad and lose some of your self confidence you've been trying to build up. Poetry is not accepted in many magazines and no matter how good your poem is, they won't accept it if the guidelines say no poetry. Another bit of a tip: I was a columnist at the local newspaper where I also was employed. I have rewritten many of those columns, some I have not, and resold them to other publications. The rights remained mine and were mine to market. If you want to write and sell your work, don't give up. Another thing I've learned is not to throw anything away. I have kept old manuscripts and after some retyping, sold them years later. The difference today is you can e-mail them. Another bit of information: I have sent stories to magazines and they rejected them, re-sent them a year later and they were accepted. Much of being accepted is in the timing. If you love to write and you're getting better and working at it, be persistent. There was a lesson in all of this. If you are selling to religious markets be sure the theology in your story agrees with that denomination. Later on I did sell two fiction pieces to the Baptist magazine, but baptism wasn't mentioned. Know your markets. Carol Kehlmeier is a former newspaperwoman and columnist. As a freelancer she has been published in both Christian and secular publications. She is a wife, mother, and grandmother writing from Westerville, Ohio.
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