Ah, we all know the definition of insanity, right? It's being a writer of course. Actually, it's doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. If you're a freelance writer of fiction and poetry submitting work to the same old markets and getting nowhere I'd say strap on the straight jacket.  
    Well, to be honest, it would take more than that, but you get the idea. It occurs to me every so often that I fit this phrase pretty well. Recently it crossed my mind again after viewing some of my favorite fiction/poetry magazines. No, I'm not talking about the garden variety you find on newsstands that publish true romance stories. I'm talking about the hundreds of print or webzines and small presses who use genre fiction and poetry. The pay scale varies from no payment to nominal fees with the pro zines paying higher rates. They, of course, are tougher to break into. For some reason I have picked out a handful of pubs in the moderate to high end range in which to submit my work from time to time. Here's what I've found the last time I made the rounds:
   I'll start with Aberrant Dreams, a genre specific print and online pub that pays well and looks decent, but rarely updates their website. For the past year or so I've seen, Fiction submissions are temporarily closed so we can clear our backlog. Really? As far as I can tell they've never cleared it, but I was excited to see they were open to poetry and even read a few poems under the heading, New Poetry. Guess what? It was from 2009. In fact everything was, including news about the site being infected by a virus. Later it was announced they were planning a new site, hoping to launch sometime in 2010. Well, I don't have to tell you what year it is now, but I'm wondering why the site is still up? As a web designer (my other job) I can tell you it doesn't take that long. I guess the real question here is why do I keep this pub listed in my folder along with others that have similar problems?
    Hmm. I wish I could answer that. I keep thinking something will change. It doesn't. And I can certainly add a few more names to my list that haven't updated their sites or bothered to respond to simple queries. Unfortunately, it's more the norm these days. I must admit I haven't bothered to check out the print version of these particular magazines. I have no desire to learn more because I'm so frustrated by the process.
    Point in case, my biggest disappointment came from the Writer Magazine this past year. Don't get me wrong, it's a great publication and one I'll continue reading. After all, they haven't been around for over 100 years for nothing. And I even had an article published in it some years back, but recent changes with a new publisher and staff have caused communications to slip through the cracks. Last June I submitted a query for a short piece. I waited the full two months before inquiring about its status. I heard nothing. Patiently, I waited another two months and sent yet another query. I told the editor (at the time) that I had since revised it making a few more salient points. He said to submit it, so I did. Again, another two months went by before I queried him - to no avail. It was at this point I thought to check out their website and saw all the changes the magazine was undergoing and found the editor I was corresponding with, if you can call it that, had been replaced. Okay, now what?
    Well, me being me, I couldn't let it go, so I queried the new editor. She of course didn't respond. It may not have been a choice most writers would make as it was already a waste of time. I only wanted to know the status for my own records. Only now, a year later, do I give up. Dah!  Will I try them again? Maybe, but not for a long time. Unfortunately it's not the first time I've had this experience, nor will it be my last. It happens to all freelance writers, it's just that some of us are smart enough to give up early on, and others, like me are not. We plod along submitting our work hoping things will change. They don't. And this is when I ask myself if I’m missing something. Am I'm doing something wrong? I thought I knew the protocol. Yes, I am a professional and follow the guidelines and read the publication. In short, I do my homework. I wait, patiently, for a rejection, and in some cases an acceptance. I don't complain about these. . . well sometimes if my story is published or edited in a bad light.  It happens. I guess I'm in submission hell right now. It's just the way things are and we writers have to accept it. Or, do we?
    Until someone invents a better way to freelance I guess I'll keep plugging along with everyone else. It's only sour grapes and there's not much a writer can do. That said, it's time I check out the new market listings and see what goodies await me there. Hmm, another waste of time. Talk about insanity.