Writing Wednesday

Happy New Year!

One of my 2017 resolutions was to submit more poetry and short stories to journals. The good news, I did submit more. And I learned a few things along the way.

Follow submission guidelines. Read them not once, twice, but three times. I'm a pretty seasoned adult, but still blew it at least once this year. Not so long ago, after I pressed the submit button, I went back to check on the decision date, only to stumble upon the ever so important information that the submission had to be suitable for all ages. I had to chuckIe.

The editor/judge probably thinks I'm a bit warped. She wants school age children to read this?

Yikes.

Sometimes journals never respond, even to work sent through Submittable. I assume the site makes it easier for editors to contact writers, but I'm not on the journal/editor end of the process, so who knows. I can say this: It would be nice to receive a response, even if the answer is no.

Maintain your callused skin. Many talented people submit regularly. Acceptance may hinge

on the pool of submitters, the taste or interest of the editor/judge on that particular day, or other factors beyond your control. That's life, my friends.

Over the holidays, I was grousing a bit with a writer pal who said another writer we knew received rejections on most days. Instead of being discouraged, the writer said it was a good thing because it meant he was submitting on a regular basis, as well. What a great mindset.

You can take a lot of rejection if you're happy to do the work and you receive a little validation along the way. I know from experience that it only takes one yes to make me giddy with pleasure.

I have a lot of submitting to do to get a rejection on most days. So, I better sign off and get busy.

Wishing you a happy, healthy, and creative 2018!