Suffering Sunday #3 (and the belated Submitting Sunday #4) – September 20, 2026
Things have been wildly busy and my brain has been solidly engaged for weeks (this is a good thing, I hope), so hopefully my update for today’s newsletter is coherent.
This month’s suffering theme is time.
It’s nearly Mabon, we’re in the last third of the month, I’ve been this big age for three weeks; how the hell is that possible? I missed this month’s Submitting Sunday due to some birthday celebrations—that will be affixed to the end of this update!
Time has slipped by so quickly this month, and that does feel like a universal experience of the adult. The days race by. Still, even around the full- and part-time job, I’m finding time to slow things down by learning new skills or taking time to rest.
I’ve been dabbling in some archery with friends once a week, which has been really good for my brain (learning new things!) and my body (getting stronger!) despite the number of injuries I collected this month. My left arm was so bruised up for a couple weeks—we had to tattoo around the bruising at my last ink&friendship appointment—from getting thwacked with the string. That was with a bracer on too, I’m just that bad at it! My fingers are torn up as well, and my shoulders are sore. But now, a few weeks in, I do feel like I’m starting to make some progress.
In addition to the passage of time being just outrageous, I have to say I am furious with the way A.I. has been threading its sinister tentacles into so many places in my life. I refuse to use it. If I recognize it for what it is, I refuse to read/look/engage with it. But it’s being pushed by my colleagues and used by some friends and it’s popping up in programs that should be boring and safe and stable (Adobe, Canva, my devices OS) even though I opt out of everything I can find. At work, my colleagues and supervisors use it and just push it out to us to use and I’m this close to claiming religious exemption and making a fuss because I’m so tired of it. It’s not inevitable, it’s not been around long, it’s not making things better (not in my experience or field definitely), and if that means getting ‘left behind’ then fantastic. I’ll have more to say about that soon, I’m sure, but I hate it and I want to make that everyone’s problem. It fits for the suffering issue.
The last of the suffering for now, back to time… it’s hard balancing the two jobs. But I am glad for the experience. And I do feel like I’m getting better, ish, at managing my time or forcing myself to get things done. I am lamenting the loss of my writing time, however, and hoping to find the willpower to bring it back in. Managing to do a bit of archery and slay demons (Diablo 3 playthrough) around all the work is promising for that.
To recap the submitting aspect of this month…
I did get three rejections this month. Which is good in the way it means I’m submitting, I’m writing, I’m working. Less good in the way that I’d love to get a yes this year and the months are quickly running out. The rejections come from a horror submission back in February to Slab Press and the two stories I submitted to the Passing Strange open call. I’m really bummed about the latter, but the new story I wrote for that call is one of my husband’s favorites and I really enjoyed writing it, so I think it’ll find a home somewhere, down the line.
Coming up, I’m still aiming to submit to Writers of the Future (Q4) before the end of the month (how are we nearly there, again?) as well as the Superheroes, Super Problems anthology from Western and WordFire because those are my people. If I find the time, I would also like to submit something Icarus-themed to Flame Tree Press, but we’ll see. I am woefully behind in getting some feedback notes to a couple members of my cohort, and that’s next on my list before I tackle the essays getting turned in as I speak (write).
Finally, I am giving myself a little grace and pushing my timeline back to the last quarter of the year for finishing my next novel draft and the revisions of an older project. I sort of thought that might happen, but December is still a good timeline for this project and I’ll have it ready to pitch at Superstars in February, if I get an appointment!
Stats for the year! Weak this year, but here they are!
Submitted Stories: 5
Rejections: 5
Novel Queries for Taraxaca: 3
Rejections: 3
Until next time!
Whimsy Crossroads 
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