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Writing Wednesday


Wintery scene with pines. Photo by Diana Dinverno

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!

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