Last week I had a short story accepted, which is always a good feeling, especially as it’s been a fairly lean year thus far, and the piece in question is a good one. However, after reading over the contract and investigating a little further, I decided not to go ahead with it. Shame.

I have withdrawn an accepted story before, (and that was at professional rates, which stung a bit) but this is the first time doing so has felt… icky. Suffice to say, I’ve learned a valuable lesson about the process of submitting material, and where to submit material; and it’s reminded me that even though I’ve done it hundreds upon hundreds of times, I’m still prone to the (occasional) schoolboy error.

For any writers who may be reading this, I guess there’s a slightly heavy handed moral to this tale. It’s your work, so take pride in it. Believe in your words, and don’t sell yourself short. Know where you are sending your efforts, and be careful.

It’s a jungle out there.