Got the Post Submission Blues?

by Sue Fulton

So, you answered POP’s call to action: you pondered transcendence, developed an idea, drafted a submission, solicited feedback, revised, double-checked the submission guidelines, and submitted your work. Congratulations!

But now what? Don’t be surprised if you experience a case of Post Submission Blues.

Wondering, Worrying

Writing to meet a specific deadline or writing to meet submission guidelines can be stressful, but it also provides purpose and structure. If the writing gets muddled, reviewing the guidelines is an easy way to get back on track. But once you’ve hit Submit, worry and wonder may arrive:

• Now what?

• What’s next?

• What if I can’t write anything worth reading?

Left unanswered, these questions can trigger the Post Submission Blues, a low period that follows the high of a submission—a blue period rooted in feelings of uncertainty and unease.

Blues’ Clues

Physical and emotional signs of UNCERTAINTY

• Diving into online rabbit holes without a reason or a plan

• Doodling, tapping

• Hesitating mid-action

• Procrastinating / stalling / wavering

• Second guessing your ability as a writer

• Staring at nothing for long periods

• Wrinkling your forehead

Physical and emotional signs of UNEASE

• Lip biting

• Feeling like time has slowed

• Fidgeting, squirming, shifting

• Frowning

• Pacing

• Second guessing yourself

• Repeatedly checking cell phone, email, or the time

• Worrying, fretting

4 Ways Past Post Submission Blues

1. Recognize that the high of submission is often followed by a low period.

2. Recognize that uncertainty and unease are signs of Post Submission Blues.

3. DO, don’t stew (replace feelings of uncertainty and unease with positive, writing related actions)

4. Use the four seasons to recognize and honor the different stages of writing projects:

   Spring: new beginnings, fresh possibilities

   Summer: idea development, draft

   Fall: revise, feedback, polish

   Winter: submit, rest, refresh

Still not sure what to write next? Ponder this:

Be blown up, as it were, by your own delights and despairs and stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.

—Ray Bradbury

What are your delights and your despairs? Start there.

Deeper

Article The Mystery of Post-Assignment Blues and How to Recover the Joy

Book Zen in the Art of Writing, Ray Bradbury

Tool One Stop for Writers

Website Understanding Emotions, Karla McClaren

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SD (Sue) Fulton is a poet, collage artist, teacher, short-form writer, voracious reader, and serial relocator who’s lived in seven states, two countries, and 34 homes. Currently, she lives in Arizona with her wife, two dogs, and the spirit of a horse named Nevada. Find Sue at SD Fulton: Short Notes from a Tall Writer’s Journal.