Submitting & Search Words

Submissions & Rejections--

Just received two rejections, one from the Kenyon Review & one from Smartish Pace. No other poetry news whatsoever.

Of course, I have been very bad about submitting my work this year. And I'll give you a hint about getting acceptance-- you tend to get more acceptances when you submit to more places. Imagine! This seems to be a lesson I do not learn to well because I love to write and dread submitting. Not the rejections, I don't mind those, just the act of putting poems together or printing them out and sending them away.

Just writing that makes me sound like a wimp. Really, it's not as hard as I make it seem. It's not really. Put poems in envelope, add stamp.

But for some reason when I start to submit my mind says, "Well, where are you going to submit to?"
And I think, "I'm not sure."

The my mind says, "Well, what will you submit?"
And I think, "I'm not sure."

And my mind continues and says, "You don't sound like you know what you're doing, maybe you should sit down and write a poem, that would feel better."
And I think, "Yes, perfect! That's what I'll do." And another day passes.

But submitting is part of the job. Maybe in January we could start a submitting club by email and for 2 months, we'll each submit a packet a week (or whatever our goal is) and we have to be accountable to each other weekly. I have a group I check in with but our dates can about 3 months in between and sometimes to make my goals I will submit 5 packets of poems the morning of our meeting. And while that is good, I'd rather try to be a little more consistent. Anyway, this is just me thinking out loud, maybe others would be interested in this.

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Search words--


I'm always interested in the terms people have used to find my blog. There are always a good number of searches for Apple Brown Betty and all the poor people looking for the real Book of Kells who end up here. This blog has also been found by More Pancakes Chilly (a reference to one of my favorite cartoon scenes with Chilly Willy--more pancakes, more butter...)

I'm still trying to figure out when I typed in "aquafina water harold" which I have no idea what it relates to. But I was also found with Seattle Poetry Club and the odd but intriguing phrase "I hope you too."

My favorite keyword search was when someone found my blog by googling "Oprah puppet." No one has googled that for a while, but maybe now, since it's Christmas time, we'll get some hits on that. I'll let you know.

Until then, I hope you too.

Comments

  1. Last January 1, I challenged my workshops to submit a packet of 3 poems every single Saturday for the entire year. For me, this makes the whole submission process, which, let's face it, it difficult, and not really about writing but about business, bearable. Knowing you only have to pick 3, being prepared to do it before the mail person arrives, etc. I used to wait months then agonzie what poems to send where. Now I tend to submit newer poems quicker and submit to more places and not to reject my work so quickly because I've fallen out of love with it. Plus, it keeps rejected poems in circulation.

    Rebecca

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  2. I felt very blessed to have a number of requests for work from journals this year. I've got a few submissions out, so we'll see what happens. I know your work will find a home...you're fab!

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  3. Rebecca, I like this. I think group efforts too are good, but I like that you have a day. You inspire me with this, thanks for sharing it.

    Collin--Good for you! You're having a great year! And thanks for your nice words...I really do just need to submit more. I have a pile of poems that could be out, but aren't.

    Thx U 2!

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  4. I'm terrible at submitting, too. So if you start a submissions club, count me in!

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  5. I like the idea of the poetry submission group/police. I also like Rebecca's every Saturday plan, but it would be a real challenge since I have trouble submitting poems once a month.

    Good ideas!

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  6. January, I will happily organize it after the holidays. It's a good new year's resolution. (And I like the name "Submission Club" kind of like Fight Club-- the first rule of Submission Club is no one talks about Submission Club." ;-)

    Valerie-- Submission police! Yes, I need my own personal poetry parole officer I check in with weekly.

    Happy T-day to you both.

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  7. Regarding search words -- I originally found your blog when I did a Google search for Book of Kells. (I was looking for online stuff about illuminated books and manuscripts.) The most recent post in your blog, when I found it, was an item about Sam Hamill recently having left Copper Canyon Press.

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  8. That's too funny. I'm always interested in how people find this.

    thanks, Lyle!

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