Competition Style

When Leon started BJJ several years ago, he really went after it. Entered every competition he could. Lost a lot of fights at the start. That’s typically how it goes when you are new in a sport. These days he brings home a lot of gold.

You see, the thing is, Leon and I have been competing in combat sports for a long time. I was 9 when I entered my first tournament and 39 when I retired. Lost a lot of fights along the way before I started winning. And in losing you learn that a loss is just an opportunity to learn and grow. It’s not the end of the world and it certainly does not define your future.

Yes, I have known exceptional athletes who start out their careers winning but, in my experience, most of them fold and walk away from the sport the first time they encounter a setback. Conversely, folks who work their way up the hard way tend to have more staying power.

What has all this to do with writing? Well, fearless as I am when it comes to combat sport – been there, done that, I’m ready and able to take my lumps – I’m a novice when it comes to writing and the rejections have the power to shake my confidence the way a lost match never does.

So this year I have decided to attack my writing practice like Leon tackled BJJ. I’m entering every competition available. And for me that means submissions to open anthology invitations. And thanks to Substack, I’ve found quite a few.

Yes, my first acceptance into an anthology happened a few years back (Raccoons in Wingless Dreamer’s collection Into the Gloom) but my submissions have been sporadic since then and apart from a couple reassuring notes from editors, most have come back with form rejection letters.

That’s why I am adopting the mindset of a combat sports athlete. I’m putting my work out there and giving it my best shot with no expectations or attachments. Losing is a high probability but, with each loss I will learn and get better until the tides turn and I begin winning. In time, I will develop the ability to shrug off rejections and move on the way I can shrug off losses and continue fighting.

Over the past four weeks I have made 4 anthology submissions with 16 more on the immediate event horizon. I’m scribbling like mad to flesh out original stories to fit with the upcoming anthology themes and I’m having fun doing it.

Today I posted my twisted fairy tale Gingerbread Bandit from the Not the Tales You Remember collection to Substack. https://brainsoupfic.substack.com/p/gingerbread-bandit

So far I’ve made no headway with querying agents but am recruiting AI for some assistance with hopes of getting some traction.

Keeping busy. Progress update in one week.