I have no "dream journals." The reason I am much more inclined towards one lit mag vs another is the fact that the editorial team also publishes BOOKS. That aside, Bethany, you created your vision, you took the logical steps to achieve it, and I am sending thunderous applause your way. YAY! Good for you!
I'm 79. This is one of the better, more helpful writings on the ins and outs I've writing that i have ever read. It's not gushy or mushy or verbose. It's straight-up,and offering. Thanks much, Bethany. I have only one question. You say Rattle has no fee? I havent seen that. Rattle is a great magazine, but most of their contests charge $25 - $30. Also, their editor, Tim Green, a contemporary admirable person dedicated to poetry, came up with the idea of poet as CURATOR. Many people have glommed on to it. Personaly, i disagree.We arent a museum, and I dont see many dinosaur carcasses patiently waiting to be reassembled. I've ORGANIZED writing and reading groups, lists of international fiction and poetry, readings from San Francisco to the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, neither i nor my many poetry compadres have ever called or considered ourselves 'curators.
At the same time, I. say "OK". To me, it's an affectation, a mild disease artist are prone to catch. At least it is not insidious and demeaning as the long-standing SUBMIT that literary magazinem publishers,agents, and editors use to answer writers of all ages in what to do with our writing. Submit. Send via Submittable.
Here is the upfront degrading hiearchy that demeans writers, implying "WE MAGS AND PRESSES AND PUBISHERS' are above you. We decide about your work. We hav you submit to us. We decide, whether it's a set standard of wht w e for our magazine or on sheer collective WHIM. and you the author have absolutely no say . SUBMIT. Bow down? Research the magazines to see what they want and give them what they want? i guess that' a kind of writing.
My point is: writers are at the mercy of lit mags and publishers. Fact of life. Take t or leave. But many times publishers and lit mags will take work because their writer has a friend,d or a relative etc.
Yet without writers, without us, lit mags and publishsers would not exist. Period. Nada. Over and out.
Hi. I liked your essay. I had a poem published by Rattle last March. Like you, I submitted material to them for five years before an acceptance. Also one of the ekphrastic poems they rejected got picked up for publication in another magazine's ekphrastic issue. As you say persistence is the key. At least, I don't go broke buying stamps, like I did in the old days when you sent material through the mail.
Thats what happened to me. One of my ekphrastic pieces was just picked up by another publication (a dream journal). It hasn't been published yet so I am mindful to recognize that offers can always be lost.
I love this advice. Excellent ideas. Unfortunately I don't do any of that. What I do is count my personal rejection letters. Then submit again, but that doesn't mean they have accepted my work. I guess one pub I always wanted to be in it, read it with regularity, submitted and got rejected with regularity and then last year they accepted one of my stories. So keep submitting, keep reading and keep your fingers crossed.
Thank you for the encouragement (new mom and no MFA, well a visual arts MFA!) and I am taking note of the tips! Only one acceptance under my belt so far but things like this post help the rejections sting less and less.
Thanks, Bethany. As always, you are an inspiration. I'm so impressed by how many times you submitted to both of your dream journals. What an example! You give me hope.
This is very helpful and encouraging. I will incorporate some of these tips. I especially liked hearing that you were accepted by Rattle after 40 rejections. So I’m halfway there!
I've been thinking of sticking post-its around me for my dream journals. Thank you for writing this; I found it quite helpful. Oh and congratulations on getting into your dreams journals! Those were big goals and I'm so happy a mother made it :)
I love this. I have gotten into one or two dream journals, and that persistence matters, as is able to take a litany of rejection. I'd say studying the magazine, but for all my studying, even when I am accepted I can't accurately predict what hits and what doesn't.
I have no "dream journals." The reason I am much more inclined towards one lit mag vs another is the fact that the editorial team also publishes BOOKS. That aside, Bethany, you created your vision, you took the logical steps to achieve it, and I am sending thunderous applause your way. YAY! Good for you!
Thank you! 💜
Well deserved! Thank you for sharing your good news!!!!
Great advice- all of it. Thank you!!
Interesting note about book publication. I've wondered about this quite a bit. I understand why.
A lit-mag with its own BOOK publishing arm is the "North Star" for me, Mark.
To me, that's what makes me pay close attention to a lit mag.
Last month, 18 of my poems were published - - and each one is linked to a book ms in progress. :-D
I'm 79. This is one of the better, more helpful writings on the ins and outs I've writing that i have ever read. It's not gushy or mushy or verbose. It's straight-up,and offering. Thanks much, Bethany. I have only one question. You say Rattle has no fee? I havent seen that. Rattle is a great magazine, but most of their contests charge $25 - $30. Also, their editor, Tim Green, a contemporary admirable person dedicated to poetry, came up with the idea of poet as CURATOR. Many people have glommed on to it. Personaly, i disagree.We arent a museum, and I dont see many dinosaur carcasses patiently waiting to be reassembled. I've ORGANIZED writing and reading groups, lists of international fiction and poetry, readings from San Francisco to the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, neither i nor my many poetry compadres have ever called or considered ourselves 'curators.
At the same time, I. say "OK". To me, it's an affectation, a mild disease artist are prone to catch. At least it is not insidious and demeaning as the long-standing SUBMIT that literary magazinem publishers,agents, and editors use to answer writers of all ages in what to do with our writing. Submit. Send via Submittable.
Here is the upfront degrading hiearchy that demeans writers, implying "WE MAGS AND PRESSES AND PUBISHERS' are above you. We decide about your work. We hav you submit to us. We decide, whether it's a set standard of wht w e for our magazine or on sheer collective WHIM. and you the author have absolutely no say . SUBMIT. Bow down? Research the magazines to see what they want and give them what they want? i guess that' a kind of writing.
My point is: writers are at the mercy of lit mags and publishers. Fact of life. Take t or leave. But many times publishers and lit mags will take work because their writer has a friend,d or a relative etc.
Yet without writers, without us, lit mags and publishsers would not exist. Period. Nada. Over and out.
Thanks! Rattle’s contests have fees. Their general submissions are always free. ☺️
A great credit to have behind you, Bethany.
RATTLE, as everyone knows, also publishes poetry BOOKS. ☺️
Beautiful piece of writing, Bethany. Congratulations! Love your spirit and tenacity. Inspirational.
Thank you, Alberta!
Hi. I liked your essay. I had a poem published by Rattle last March. Like you, I submitted material to them for five years before an acceptance. Also one of the ekphrastic poems they rejected got picked up for publication in another magazine's ekphrastic issue. As you say persistence is the key. At least, I don't go broke buying stamps, like I did in the old days when you sent material through the mail.
That’s awesome! Congrats! Yes, persistence is key.
Thats what happened to me. One of my ekphrastic pieces was just picked up by another publication (a dream journal). It hasn't been published yet so I am mindful to recognize that offers can always be lost.
I love this advice. Excellent ideas. Unfortunately I don't do any of that. What I do is count my personal rejection letters. Then submit again, but that doesn't mean they have accepted my work. I guess one pub I always wanted to be in it, read it with regularity, submitted and got rejected with regularity and then last year they accepted one of my stories. So keep submitting, keep reading and keep your fingers crossed.
Sounds like what you’re doing is working for you! Persistence pays off!
Thank you for the encouragement (new mom and no MFA, well a visual arts MFA!) and I am taking note of the tips! Only one acceptance under my belt so far but things like this post help the rejections sting less and less.
Jamie, congratulations on your first acceptance! So exciting! Yes, rejections are just part of the game. You get used to them. Keep going!
I love your strategy layout. I've been just sending stuff everywhere without strategy. This reminds me to be more mindful in my submission approach.
Thanks and good luck!
Thank you, Bethany. Thank you for this smart post, and thank you for rooting for me.
You’re welcome, Debby! ☺️
Great essay and good advice. Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome! ☺️
Great essay- great advice. Write a lot, submit a lot, pay attention, push through rejections.
Thanks, Marie!
Hopeful and helpful! Well done!
Thanks, Leslie!
Great essay Bethany. Wonderful narrative. Cheerleader for the self.
Thanks, Carla!
Thanks, Bethany. As always, you are an inspiration. I'm so impressed by how many times you submitted to both of your dream journals. What an example! You give me hope.
Thanks, Polly! And you’re doing great! Keep going!
This is very helpful and encouraging. I will incorporate some of these tips. I especially liked hearing that you were accepted by Rattle after 40 rejections. So I’m halfway there!
Keep going! 😃
I've been thinking of sticking post-its around me for my dream journals. Thank you for writing this; I found it quite helpful. Oh and congratulations on getting into your dreams journals! Those were big goals and I'm so happy a mother made it :)
Great idea! And thank you so much!
I love this. I have gotten into one or two dream journals, and that persistence matters, as is able to take a litany of rejection. I'd say studying the magazine, but for all my studying, even when I am accepted I can't accurately predict what hits and what doesn't.
Thanks! Yes, it’s impossible to entirely predict.