Tirade
There are some things about being a writer that I just hate. Pardon me while I vent.
1. FEAR
This is the worst, and I despise myself when I let it get to me. Sometimes I come up with a cool idea for a story, but then I'm too scared to write it, afraid I won't do it justice. Forget my track record, how many times I've forced myself to get ideas down on paper and, after a half-dozen revisions or so, ended up with something polished enough to be proud of. There's no logic behind it; I just psych myself out, I guess.
2. DEFUNCT MARKETS
This really gets my hackles up—if I allow it to. It's so frustrating to submit my work to a particular market only to find out two months later that it's gone the way of the dodo bird. And the editors don't even bother to let me know about it. Now granted, it would probably be a real chore to notify the hundreds of writers who've submitted their work, but c'mon, it's not like the editors are busy reading slush anymore! They should send out something like: "We are now extinct. You are free to submit your work to another market and hope they don't suffer the same fate."
3. FORM LETTER REJECTIONS THAT SOUND PERSONAL
If it's a form letter, then it should read as such. I don't want editors telling me they "liked the writing" and "the story was sound" if that's what they send out to everybody, regardless of the work's quality.
4. NEGATIVE ENERGY
Oh—wait a minute… Hmmm.
On a more positive note, I had some microfiction published this weekend by Cuento and 5x5 Fiction. If you hate it, feel free to tell me why.