Check out Part One here.
If it wasn’t clear from my silence on the topic – the submission I sent to a publisher at the end of January was not accepted. I’m actually not too bothered about this. I try very hard not to attach my self-worth to acceptance rates (if I did this, oh boy would I be in trouble), and with the distance of time, I can definitely see why I wasn’t accepted. The poems I submitted were good, I won’t tear myself down in that sense, but there was a lack of direction and cohesiveness that I’d tricked myself into seeing.
I’m not deterred though. I have taken a step back from that project, instead focusing on my novel (AHHH) and promoting my Writing & Editing Services (page now equipped with fancy testimonials). I made a list the other day of all the projects I was currently working on, and it came to a horrific eighteen! I knew that I needed to focus on one specific project – maybe two at a push – and so I forced myself to choose. Ultimately, I decided against the poetry (at the time I was still waiting for the email, or lack thereof) but that doesn’t mean forever. I still plan on getting them published one day, I just need to streamline it a bit.
And that streamlining comes in the form of – what? I don’t know. Which is…kind of terrifying, but also exciting. I’m looking forward to when I’ll have time to focus on that project again. In the meantime, novel writing, blog updating (hi), and entering competitions.
Speaking of which, here are the places I look for comps!
Christopher Fielden's website (join his mailing list!)
There are so many others to the point that I can't even think of them right now. I tend to find a lot of mags on Twitter, though they always seem to have just closed their submissions when I come across them.
I'm not sure when Part Three of this journey will happen, but I'll be sure to update you when it does! Anyway, projects to get on with, life to procrastinate, you know the drill.
~ C