Hi Ayesha! I might be alone re how I operate (or, ahem, don’t) with sending stuff in to pubs. My reasons for infrequently sending stuff in are as follows:
1. I work best on a schedule. I like for my stuff to be out at a predictable time and I like holding myself accountable to that publish button. It helps me feel organized and allows me to keep track of my progress more easily. So I cling very tightly to having my year goals (last year was dailies, this year it’s stories) stick with a certain schedule.
2. I never feel confident re what a pub may or may not want. When I wrote dailies, it didn’t matter anyway bc whatever I had for the daily was what I had. But even now with my weekly schedule, it’s hard for me to set aside time for a specific pub without a specific prompt or call. Every once in awhile I’ll write a piece and think ‘oh this would be perfect for…!’ But that’s pretty rare and again, if it’s a scheduled piece for me, I always cater to the schedule rather than getting published.
I’ve had some commentary from editors where it seemed like me not submitting was hurtful. I feel horrible about this. I’m hoping to get better at figuring out what would be appropriate for various pubs and managing my time in such a way that I can submit more regularly.