#NewThisDay Writing From My Photo Stream
A Little Necessary Light and Fluff and Softness in the Meadow
In 2015, I received twelve acceptances. That means my acceptance rate was roughly 5%. While that number might look discouraging—so many rejections for so few acceptances!—the reality is that I think I did pretty well.
In 2015, my short stories were accepted by nine publications: Kenyon Review, Kenyon Review Online, Michigan Quarterly Review, Notre Dame Review, Washington Square Review, Puerto del Sol, Beloit Fiction Journal, South Carolina Review, and the Among Animals anthology. Other acceptances included a list in McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, a personal essay in Equus magazine, and a spot at a fully funded writing residency…)
So yes, my work was accepted by all those excellent publications . . . and also rejected another 215 times.
~ Excerpt from, “Doubling the Rejection Goal: How I Received 215 Rejections in 2015,” by Laura Maylene Walter
Yes, it was damp and raw, bleak. Oh, November. I walked this morning, focusing on my breath and being mindful of my steps. Sang a little. Trying to lighten my attitude. Charleston. Woke me WAY too early to be fed and and let out, and I grumbled and got up, too early. But, what was really hounding my mood was simple to diagnose. Ego. So, in the meadow, I let myself focus on the light evoked by the downy soft milkweed. And the tree bark, light and dark. Once I was home, dressed for a day of work, after this time, I felt my mood improve. My energy increased. I had a really nice day, working. And tonight, I love my monthly writer’s critique group that I run online. Wow. We had a really intimate connection, thanks for the writers, their bravery, their vulnerability, making our time a safe place with each other, for sharing and for craft. Exquisite. A poet friend shared about rejection on Facebook today - her frustration. I was grateful for her honesty. She’s a wonderful poet. So, we’re all in the same club. Doing our best, taking risks, sending out the work – doing the footwork. I sent something out this morning. I was not chosen for a contest. Tomorrow, will send something else out. For now, catch up on sleep, as soon as I can round up that Charlie, out barking in the woods, and tuck him in for the night.
