I’ve been working hard on submitting a lot of work to a variety of places. I’m trying to build a following for my writing and getting all sorts of my work out there. It has been a lot of work and a lot of time spent making decisions on what poems to send where.
When I open my email I’ve been cringing every time I see a correspondence from one of these publishers. I think – can I handle a rejection right now. In my email last week I had five such emails where I looked at them and said I’m not sure I’m up to someone telling me my work didn’t make the cut. However, I must be a masochist or something because I said okay – I’ll open them.
They weren’t rejections. I am going to have four short stories published in two different places. I was surprised, excited, pleased, proud and a whole lot of other emotions.
Last night I avoided my email just because. When I finally sat down to my email I noticed a response from one of the publications I’d sent my poetry to. It was such a quick turn around I figured it couldn’t be good news. Still I opened it. It was a nice long email explaining how my work will be published and where it could appear. I was so excited. The only bad part is everyone was asleep so I couldn’t tell anyone.
I’m putting my work out there. I feel sometimes like I’m sending out bits of my soul to be judged. However, I try to remember that it is a poem or story. I like it and if others don’t so be it. Also it could very easily be that it isn’t that they don’t like it but that they didn’t have room for it or that the story was good enough but didn’t fit with the rest of the stories / poems for the issue they were working on.
Rejection is hard. It is hard to put yourself out there. However, you have to remember if your positive the work is good (not just your opinion but others as well) then keep trying. Probably only one or two in ten submissions get accepted (if that). It doesn’t mean you aren’t a good writer. It just means that it didn’t fit.
As things become available I’ll announce where I’m getting published. I can’t wait to see my work in an ezine or in a paper copy.