JulyaOui

@AnizaElya Hi Aniza, I am fine thanks. Try sending your short stories to Little Basket 2018 (Fixi) and this link https://knighterrantpress.com/2017/03/14/f-m-or-other-quarrels-with-the-gender-binary/
          You have to read their requirements as to the length of the stories. Each publisher has a set of different rules & regulations. They usually accept doc/MS Word. Send one at a time unless they allow you to send a few.
          One of the things you have to do as a writer is to do your research about publishing. What they want, what they need, what they are looking for.
          As for your story, it has to have that long lasting effect (at least to me) where you leave your readers with an aftertaste whether it is good or bad.
          You can read classic stories from this link t expand your writing horizon & ideologies: https://letterpile.com/misc/Short-Stories-With-a-Twist-Ending
          And keep trying. You will get rejected, you will get discouraged but if you love writing you have to keep at it.
          As they say, writing is an art and publishing is a business.

JulyaOui

@AnizaElya Back then there was no such thing as email (pre-internet days). I snail mailed them :D 
          I write what I like first and then look for publishers who are looking for that particular style or genre. But sometimes, I write according to what they want, especially in an anthology or a very specific submission.
          For Fixi Novo, if you haven't heard they are only publishing very limited English books from now on. They are not doing as well as the Malay books. But if you would like to try, send something along the line of pulp fiction.
          Whatever it is, write what you want first. Most of the time, when you're happy with what you've written it will be good. And then only look for the publishers. Malaysian publishers are limited for English books, so go international if you want.
          The only difference between international and local is the style of writing. You cannot use too many lingo or colloquial English for the international market and of course vice versa.

JulyaOui

@AnizaElya The Facebook group is free is you join the group but not for the events. 
          When I was younger I actually wrote to Stephen King for advice and he sent me a standard postcard. I also wrote to Sidney Sheldon who wrote back. But he did not accept my request for him to be my mentor. 
          I know what it's like to be out there 'alone', not knowing when you will see the light of your publishing day.
          Ask all you want. No bother.

JulyaOui

@AnizaElya Use all kinds of writing methods for your own benefit. Write longhand, write on the laptop, write in a notebook, etc. It helps to categorize your story ideas in specific genres: horror, crime, mystery, thriller, etc. I use Evernote for this and I keep my work in Dropbox.
          The funny thing is, you never know which is which until you start writing. The story or characters will lead you after some time. You will only then know if it will be a short story, a novel, a movie script, or something else altogether.
          Sometimes your story idea can be merged into one as well. So, never throw away any ideas for they will make sense to you some day.
          Why don't you join the https://www.facebook.com/malaysianwriterssociety/ 
          You may find it useful.
          Feel free to write to me if you have anymore questions.

JulyaOui

@AnizaElya Hahah, thank you for your kind comments. I'm glad you liked them. I know multitasking is difficult that's why I only got published in my late forties. Now that I am older, I can afford to write full time.
          If you aspire to be a writer, never stop writing even if it is only one sentence a day. It may seem like a long road from where you are but if you want it bad enough the road will get closer. Write and read always and learn from everything and everyone you can. Hope to see your books in the near future.

JulyaOui

@AnizaElya Hahah, thank you for the kind comments. I'm glad you like the stories. I know multitasking is difficult. I only got published in my late forties. Now that I'm older, I can afford to be a full time writer.
          If you aspire to be writer, never stop writing even if it's just one sentence a day. It may seem like a long road from where you are but it will get closer if you want it bad enough. So, do write and read always.