I speak, of course, of submitting work to the Spectrum annual, which I better do tomorrow, since if I wait until after the trip, I'll be so busy I'm likely to forget.
I've submitted faithfully every year for about four years, and received rejection slips every time. Initially, they were definitely earned. More recently...well, I'd like to think they were close, and some of 'em have held up well, but I suspect that in a few years, I'll look back and go "Man, those were stinkers too!" Still, I keep submitting--it's one of my big artistic goals. (Not that I expect fame, fortune, and success to attend acceptance, I just wanna do it because--well--it'd be cool, damnit!) Although many of the contributors to Spectrum kick my ass up, down, sideways, and extradimensionally to boot, I know I'm better than some of the stuff that gets in, so I keep trying.
This year, I'm submitting "Sir Bunny vs. the Wockwurm" and "Bad Egg," which garnered the most comments/praise/etc this year, and which James (whose vote equals that of the combined internet) agreed were the best of the bunch.
Fifth time's the charm...