Staying on Top

Last was an emotional rollercoaster for me. First shock, then a deep sense of accomplishment, then a sudden wave of anxiety, all within the span of a few minutes.

This happened because I’d learned the July/August issue of Analog Science Fiction and Fact, featuring my story “Casual Brutality” had an early electronic release. Which meant, for the first time since last October, I didn’t have an upcoming short fiction release.

Now, it’s not like I don’t have anything important coming up. I have an interview next week for Writers of the Future, Vol. 42. I’ll be appearing on a panel for TBRCon, followed by an appearance in September at DragonCon. And due to printing issues, the print edition of July/August Analog will be coming in September. But for the moment, that’s it.

They say, “It’s easy to get on top; the trick is staying on top”. Well, I can tell you there was nothing easy about my path here. It took years of practice, research, and planning, followed by almost a year of furious work. But I did it: I finally got published. Twice, in the same year. Now, the trick is doing it again. And again, and again, and again.

I’ve lived my adult life by embracing forward progress. Any time I meet a major milestone, that becomes the new baseline. I broke eight minutes on a mile running? Now, every run has to be at least that fast. I solve Wordle in three guesses instead of four? From there on, every four-guess solution is a failure. For better or worse, I’ve applied that same reasoning to my writing. I can’t help it. It’s who I am.

Since returning from Hollywood in April, several of my fellow WOTF42 winners have taken some time off writing. I don’t blame them. They’re creatively exhausted. I should probably do the same thing. After all, it’s summer. There’s not much going on in the literary world this time of year. But I haven’t been able to get myself to stop, or even slow down. Because I keep thinking about the after.

Sure, there’s little chance of a successful query or short fiction submission in the summer. But what about autumn? Or next year? I have to keep moving forward, right? What if I get to autumn and I don’t have any short fic pieces that haven’t already been roundly rejected?

Cue the anxiety.

Over the past twelve months of my life I’ve seen my writing career advance faster and further than I’d dared to hope. I’m entering summer sitting on two prestigious publishing credits, a pair of international awards, and a full membership in the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association: a longstanding goal dating back to the moment I learned what SFWA was. But I am not satisfied. And I am not done.

So I’ve kept writing. I’ve kept trying new things, innovating, expanding my repertoire. I’m constantly writing and editing, and juggling five subs (and counting) as well as several active queries. I’m doing what I feel it’s incumbent upon every aspiring writer to do: taking every possible opportunity to advance my career.

And make no mistake: I am still an aspiring writer. So I’m also a published author. I can be both. Because I still have aspirations. I want to publish more short fiction. I want to win a Nebula Award, and a Hugo. I want to publish a novel. Then another, and as many more as I can for as long as I can still write.

Make no mistake: I am endlessly grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given over the past year. I’m grateful to the Writers of the Future contest, its judges and all the diligent workers of both ASI and Galaxy Press, for giving me my first publishing credit. I’m grateful to the wonderful people at Analog, for giving me the chance to see my work appear in the same legendary publication that gave both Frank Herbert and Orson Scott Card their first big breaks. As I’ve said before, gratitude has been a major theme of the past year for me.

But I’ve also told my friends, both within the writing community and without, these are things that have already happened. The moment I learned I’d won Writers of the Future’s third quarter last year, it became something I’d accomplished, past tense. Same with the acceptance letter from Analog, which I received a week later. These are big things, but they’re over now.

From this point, all that matters is what’s next. – MK

Writers of the Future, Vol. 42 is now available, through Amazon and wherever fine literature is sold. It includes my winning story, “In Living Color’: my first professional publishing credit. It will not be my last.