I loved this piece. I'm more interested in short fiction publication at the moment, but a lot of the advice could apply to any kind of niche writing. For those of us writing in isolation, there really is an overwhelming sense of not having any idea how this all works. This piece puts a lot of things into perspective. So thank you!
Thanks for the reminder to be part of the community and appreciate the editors who appreciate your work. There are just a couple of lit mags I submit to that have previously published my work, but I may now consider sending more work to more of them.
long for the daze when we'd go to kinkos & double-side the carefully laid-out chapbook pages, cut them, assemble, staple, all for jane q. public & world mail art w/no particular goal other than, like a message in a bottle, love notes to humanity. of course though it never amounted to any recognition, some of it inspired someone somewhere in the mysterious world
Such an inspiring post! Thank you so much for writing it, Noah. I'm not a poet, but the lessons you impart here are just as applicable to placing short fiction. I'm struggling so much with this: Should I submit to markets that have previously liked my work (published by PURE SLUSH -- thrice!) or aim to add new (higher-tiered) notches to my metaphorical writing belt? Finding fellow travelers in burble and going deep instead of wide seems like a great solution.
This is a good post, Noah, and appreciated. I'm working on a piece about poet/editor (writer/editor) relationships and, well, there's a lot to say. Hoping to demystify a bit.
Wait, are you saying that the real poetry is the friends you made along the way?
<<ducks>>
Seriously, thanks for a lovely essay and meditation on success and striving and community. Personal discoveries like yours light the path out of our current twilight-of-capitalism hellscape, for anyone from the lover of medieval etchings to the dabbler in open-source productivity tools. Build a community around what you like.
Very helpful piece, thank you. I haven't submitted to lit magazines. I'm PRE-magazine submission stage. How do I find an editor who likes me?! I approached people whose writing I greatly admired, but we did not match in terms of timing or goals.
Thank you for this wise, funny, and practical essay. As an emerging writer, I've both appreciated and been flummoxed by the advice, "Become part of a community." Now I have a better idea of how to water that garden (cliche? submit to tinylitjournal.com? someone may like that?)
I thank Noah for his candor and would encourage him not to feel bad about not getting into an MFA program [he probably will be a better writer without it, as creativity cannot be taught, period-- only 'ideologies can be imprinted on limited imaginations.] And he's right about cliques running the Lit Game-- some of the worst poetry/writing today is actually in the most 'prestigious' [whatever and whoever defines that!] lit mags--I recently read an issue of one of these hoity-toity periodicals and almost gagged on how bad the poems were-- obscure, idiosyncratic, reductionist, just sheer meaningless crap. It's as though if you can understand it, it can't be any good-- but there is a profound difference between simplicity and simple minded, as there is between density of thought and obfuscation. [You can almost tell which poets got an MFA as they seem trained to throw in big words and rather far fetched imagery, as though just gluing words together can make a good poem.]
One thing this old man has learned, the hard way as is usual with me, is that the ego is the enemy of the soul [and yeah, you got one whether you believe it or not-- there are myriad accounts of folks who have had NDEs, OBEs or other dips into the 'twilight zone', [as I after 50 years finally put my own out there in 'The Day I Remembered My Soul' which has been published by 7 online lit ,mags and 3 in print.] What matters is NOT where you get published Noah, but that you do--for EVERY venue means some people will be 'absorbing' a bit of your soul [ not your ego, as no ego cares a damn about another ego--think about that.] Good writing, like good art, music, film, is an act of transcendence. Besides, most famous people are forgotten, sooner than you think: A few years ago I mentioned to an millennial than I once saw Lee Marvin in France--he said, 'who's that? Finally, Noah et al, please remember: Vincent Van Gogh only sold one painting, Emily Dickinson a few poems [and those under a male pen name!], and Melville, who some of us consider wrote the most profound novel ever about our screwed-up human nature, gave up writing when Moby Dick only sold 3,000 copies [though personally I'd be ecstatic if one of my books sold that many!]
I'll be forgotten before I'm ever remembered, I know, but I'm still happy that in my 8th decade my wayward children have found homes in over 170 lit mags in 13 countries [some of them on the prestigious' list]. All that matters is that you write from your heart/mind/soul-- take your pick, they're all connected anyway.
A good reminder that tilting at windmills is often our first, but not best, idea.
I loved this piece. I'm more interested in short fiction publication at the moment, but a lot of the advice could apply to any kind of niche writing. For those of us writing in isolation, there really is an overwhelming sense of not having any idea how this all works. This piece puts a lot of things into perspective. So thank you!
Sweet, Noah. Thanks for writing this. And Becky, thanks for including it.
Thanks for the reminder to be part of the community and appreciate the editors who appreciate your work. There are just a couple of lit mags I submit to that have previously published my work, but I may now consider sending more work to more of them.
long for the daze when we'd go to kinkos & double-side the carefully laid-out chapbook pages, cut them, assemble, staple, all for jane q. public & world mail art w/no particular goal other than, like a message in a bottle, love notes to humanity. of course though it never amounted to any recognition, some of it inspired someone somewhere in the mysterious world
I have been mulling these ideas about poetry and the sharing of poetry. I am glad you articulated it for me.
I love this line. " you should feel lucky you have found a fellow traveler in burble" burble, burble, burble!
Great advice, Noah. You are one of the best (and broadest palette) writers I have discovered here on Substack, and reading your work is a joy.
love this perspective. thank you.
Such an inspiring post! Thank you so much for writing it, Noah. I'm not a poet, but the lessons you impart here are just as applicable to placing short fiction. I'm struggling so much with this: Should I submit to markets that have previously liked my work (published by PURE SLUSH -- thrice!) or aim to add new (higher-tiered) notches to my metaphorical writing belt? Finding fellow travelers in burble and going deep instead of wide seems like a great solution.
This is a good post, Noah, and appreciated. I'm working on a piece about poet/editor (writer/editor) relationships and, well, there's a lot to say. Hoping to demystify a bit.
I really loved this piece. Fantastic reflection and advice
Wait, are you saying that the real poetry is the friends you made along the way?
<<ducks>>
Seriously, thanks for a lovely essay and meditation on success and striving and community. Personal discoveries like yours light the path out of our current twilight-of-capitalism hellscape, for anyone from the lover of medieval etchings to the dabbler in open-source productivity tools. Build a community around what you like.
Fantastic and helpful advice, thank you!
Very helpful piece, thank you. I haven't submitted to lit magazines. I'm PRE-magazine submission stage. How do I find an editor who likes me?! I approached people whose writing I greatly admired, but we did not match in terms of timing or goals.
Thank you for this wise, funny, and practical essay. As an emerging writer, I've both appreciated and been flummoxed by the advice, "Become part of a community." Now I have a better idea of how to water that garden (cliche? submit to tinylitjournal.com? someone may like that?)
I thank Noah for his candor and would encourage him not to feel bad about not getting into an MFA program [he probably will be a better writer without it, as creativity cannot be taught, period-- only 'ideologies can be imprinted on limited imaginations.] And he's right about cliques running the Lit Game-- some of the worst poetry/writing today is actually in the most 'prestigious' [whatever and whoever defines that!] lit mags--I recently read an issue of one of these hoity-toity periodicals and almost gagged on how bad the poems were-- obscure, idiosyncratic, reductionist, just sheer meaningless crap. It's as though if you can understand it, it can't be any good-- but there is a profound difference between simplicity and simple minded, as there is between density of thought and obfuscation. [You can almost tell which poets got an MFA as they seem trained to throw in big words and rather far fetched imagery, as though just gluing words together can make a good poem.]
One thing this old man has learned, the hard way as is usual with me, is that the ego is the enemy of the soul [and yeah, you got one whether you believe it or not-- there are myriad accounts of folks who have had NDEs, OBEs or other dips into the 'twilight zone', [as I after 50 years finally put my own out there in 'The Day I Remembered My Soul' which has been published by 7 online lit ,mags and 3 in print.] What matters is NOT where you get published Noah, but that you do--for EVERY venue means some people will be 'absorbing' a bit of your soul [ not your ego, as no ego cares a damn about another ego--think about that.] Good writing, like good art, music, film, is an act of transcendence. Besides, most famous people are forgotten, sooner than you think: A few years ago I mentioned to an millennial than I once saw Lee Marvin in France--he said, 'who's that? Finally, Noah et al, please remember: Vincent Van Gogh only sold one painting, Emily Dickinson a few poems [and those under a male pen name!], and Melville, who some of us consider wrote the most profound novel ever about our screwed-up human nature, gave up writing when Moby Dick only sold 3,000 copies [though personally I'd be ecstatic if one of my books sold that many!]
I'll be forgotten before I'm ever remembered, I know, but I'm still happy that in my 8th decade my wayward children have found homes in over 170 lit mags in 13 countries [some of them on the prestigious' list]. All that matters is that you write from your heart/mind/soul-- take your pick, they're all connected anyway.