In 2009, my creative writing teacher told us to write a short story in either genre. I was so relieved because the previous week we had been writing poems which I loathed. So, I researched an ancient story about a woman who loved so deeply she tried to bring him back to life.

 

It was known as the Tale of Osiris. I had previously known about it for a while since I first started studying it back in 3rd grade. I gathered as much info as I could via internet and a book my mom had given me a while ago.

 

Then came the fun part. I wrote for 2 days nonstop until I finished it. I had my librarian help me staple it and turned it in. The teacher was swamped. She didn't have time to read all the marvellous stories her pupils turned in, so she hired a TA (teacher's assistant). 

 

That's who gave me 90 out of a hundred. She wrote on the bottom: "I love ancient Egypt! P.S. might want to have a glossary in the back. I didn't know a few of the made-up words." It thrilled me someone loved it! I had my friend Liberty, lol, draw anime versions of my characters. I still have them to this day. Then I just forgot about it for a while. I made my way through high school, graduated, and thought nothing of it until 2017, where I rewrote the whole thing. Originally, I wanted to publish it on Wattpad, but it's not really the best site for that. I even made a book cover to go with it. But as time passed, people still weren't seeing it. I became discouraged and took it off the website. 

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I rewrote it again after my grandma had passed away from Alzheimer's and dementia. I was in emotional distress and needed an outlet. I poured all of my feelings into the character Aset when she mourned for Wesir. And it helped me immensely. When I reread it, it was so much better than the previous draft. Buckling down in between college and life, I added new chapters, gave it a fresh feel and applied limited 3rd POV to it. 

Something happened. The entire story changed from a writing assignment to something incredible. 

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I sent it out to publishers looking for short stories in 2019. Nothing. Not even a rejection letter. I sent it again in 2020 after researching magazine companies to get my foot in the publishing door. Out of the possible 20 companies and literary agents, only one answered back. 

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Hello,  

 

We thank you for your submission, and we would like to publish it in the APRIL issue of the magazine.  

 

If you accept, please, send a brief third-person bio and optionally a photo.

 

 If you withdrew your submission, please, disregard this email.  

 

Kind regards, 

 

Scarlet Leaf Review

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My mouth dropped open and the water it contained spilled onto the carpet in a disgusting waterfall. I was floored. Tears filled my eyes until I couldn't see. My chin trembled. After all this time. Someone thinks my story rocks! And here we are. I am now a published author. 

https://www.scarletleafreview.com/short-stories36/category/ld-walters

 

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