Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Poised, on the Cusp

I had made a dangerous--but honest--miscalculation: 
 
I was a semester into my wandering through an MFA program, when I 
decided to do a very shallow thing: start submitting my poetry to 
literary magazines. . .
 
I know, I know.
 
My explanation: I had about three (two undergraduate level, one 
graduate) workshops worth of poetry that I'd written. And, at the 
time, I'd felt comfortable with what I had. 
 
*Disclaimer: I pride myself on having a self-confidence and 
self-awareness that is healthy and fair. Does it wobble from time 
to time? Sure it does.
 
I'd sent every piece I'd written to every major literary magazine 
imaginable, and in return, received back every type of rejection 
imaginable. Suffice it to say, I found the rejections SHOCKING
Staggered and humiliated, I approached a friend at the university 
whose wisdom I valued very much. They're response proved to be even 
more unsettling to me: "Mike, forget about it. . .for now, anyway. 
Forget about submitting. Forget about publications. It isn't the 
right time for it. Just concentrate on craft."
 
And I listened to them. Big mistake, and here's why: Outside of the 
University's own literary magazine, I submitted nothing for close to 
a year and a half. This is bad. 
 
Here are two of what I termed acknowledgement letters(I absolutely 
refuse to label this species as rejection) I've received recently 
within the last three months) from two major publications in response 
to a short story I'd submitted(yes, I do indeed write those too):
 
"Unfortunately this particular piece was not a right fit for _________, 
but we were very impressed by your writing. We hope that you will feel 
encouraged by this short note and send us something else."
 
"We gave close consideration to your well-written piece because of your 
narrative style, but. . ." (I'm sure you can fill in what comes after)
What's important to point out about these two is that they're positive 
rejections that reveal a couple of things: 1) My story--while, at least 
in their minds, isn't quite ready yet--is close 2)  I've got something 
good going with my narrative/writing-style/voice (which is HUGE) 3) 
There exists potential, and therefore, possibility (most important).
 
I've also received a few of these in reference to some of my poetry. The 
problem is,I've only recently received these types of acknowledgement 
letters. If I'd known better. I could have been receiving these types 
much earlier in my creative timeline. Who knows, I could've had more 
published pieces because of it. It's very important for young writers to 
understand that THE GAME needs to be learned through practice. Like my 
hero Omar Little says: "The game’s out there, and it’s play or get played. 
That simple." 
 
It's only now that I've come to recognize everything that I've done wrong 
thus far. From the big things: actually having something worthy of 
consideration, and how to correctly write a cover letter, to the little: 
actually researching which magazines/journals (print or electronic) may 
be receptive to the type of writing I do. The game has its own source code 
that every writer needs to coach themselves on through practice and failure. 
 
Now, I'm left scrambling. It's my fault, of course. I should've followed
my gut instinct--literally. I should've paid more attention to the grumbling 
that was bellowing out of my very grouchy, creative stomach. Now, I find 
myself having to play the role of stick-up boy:
 
"And what is your occupation?
Occupation?
What exactly do you do for a living, Mr. Little?
I rip and run.
 
At this point in my creative timeline, I have over 80+ pending submissions. 
 
I anticipate answers very soon. 
 
The way I see it, how can one expect to run with the wolves at night when 
they spend all their time sparring with puppies? 
 
I mean, a man got to have a code.