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.
