Contests and Literary Magazines

While I haven't done much querying yet, as I'm still polishing my manuscript, the one thing I have struggled the most with in my query letter is the brief bio. I've spent the majority of my adult life working for the government in some capacity. As a result, I haven't done much professional creative writing and, aside from pursuing my MFA, I don't really have anything of interest to put in my bio.

When my mother died, I found writing difficult. She was my biggest fan. I think I've mentioned this before, but she was a huge romance reader (of the bodice ripper variety), and she asked me to write a romance novel, dedicating it to her. I wasn't able to fulfill that promise before she died when I was 19, and I think my love for writing initially died with her. I still took classes and did some poetry and short stories in school, but my heart wasn't in it anymore. I found a new passion in the law, and I really excelled at being a paralegal. Now, I work in policy, and it's something I enjoy as well, but last year, right before the pandemic hit, I found myself missing writing.

I'm a bit of a wordy person in general, so rather than easing my way back into writing, I decided to jump right into a novel. I got about three chapters down before I realized I was in over my head. So, I took a fiction writing class at my local community college. The exercises helped me to reconnect with my creative side. Quite a few short stories came out of that, and for the most part, they've just been catching dust in the cloud.

This weekend, I started researching literary magazines and contests. While there are some well known magazines I could send my work to, I thought I might start small. There's a couple local magazines that have open submissions either going on now or opening soon. I'll have to take a look at my work and see what I might send, but I think this might be a good way to build my writing resume while I continue to work on polishing my novel. 

I had planned to go back to my second novel after I finished the major rewrite of my first, but now I'm wondering if I'll finish that during #NanoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and spend the next couple of months trying my hand at short stories. I know many literary magazines will accept simultaneous submissions, but I'd like to increase my writing portfolio as well. 

Have you ever submitted work to a literary magazine or a writing contest? How did it go? What tips and tricks would you be willing to share about your experience?