It's About "Time"

I just pressed the "Send" button on two stories for an anthology call.

This is another Superstars anthology call for The Echo of the Hour. Each story must feature our relationship with time. And as always--there's an extra bonus to tie them all together. In this case, there has to be a bell, chime, or some other sort of "ding" at the end of the story to show the passing of time.

Honestly, I'm really nervous about these submissions. This was actually a really hard prompt for me to respond to, but I gave my best to it. I have no idea if my best will be enough to be selected, even though my odds are higher this year with fewer submissions.

One story is definitely strong enough. I wrote this story a few years back, and I've loved it ever since. I spent a little time tweaking it to better align with the anthology call, but it's mostly original. It's one that deserves a home, and it chokes people up (myself included) every time they read it. However, I'm not sure if it has the right tone for this anthology, so it might get rejected just for that.

The other story has a cool concept, but I'm not sure it hits the right notes. It's good, but I'm not convinced it's good enough. However, at this point with my time constraints and my writing chops, I don't feel there's anymore I can do with it.

This particular editor for this particular anthology shows the transparency of her selection process. She posts her gut response for each story on the first pass-through, ranging from "No" to the coveted "Hell yes."

If I can get a "Hell Yes" out of the first story, that will make my day even if ultimately it isn't selected for the full anthology. I think it has the potential for that. The second one feels like a "Maybe," but those sometimes bump up for overall flow too. I don't think either will be a "No," and I guess that's something there.

I'll keep you posted, especially if I get the "Hell Yes."