In 2020 I started submitting a creative nonfiction story about me and my much-missed mom. It’s a story that encompasses so much of who my mom was and why she means so much to me, and I was sure it would be instantly snapped up. And then Agni kept it, and kept it, and kept it, and I was like, “MAYBE?” and finally they’d had it so long I wrote to ask if it had gotten lost, and they said, we’re super sorry, we are not publishing it. But we did shortlist it. (In retrospect I’m glad. If they’d accepted it I’d have wound up with some very undeserved writing confidence.)
So after that I thought, this story will DEFINITELY get published, if AGNI liked it, and I submitted it for another 2 years to no avail, and by then I was a better writer, so I revamped the story. And I sent it out for another 3 years, and at that point I thought, well, maybe it’s a dud. And I moved the file into the Folder of Disappointment and let it go.
About a week ago I got an email from a literary magazine editor saying they wanted to publish the piece. The magazine was so big, and it had been a year since I’d submitted the story so I didn’t even remember doing it, that I thought it was a scam. I checked and re-checked and checked the URL in the email address, but it remained stubbornly the correct one. I looked at my records and indeed, one day I must have been like, “This magazine that would never publish me in ten billion years, sure? Why not?” I do know the absolute pinnacle of what I hoped for was a personal rejection.
After checking everything eight times, then checking it another ten, I wrote back. They sent me a contract. I don’t have a publication date (they kept my piece for a year, so… 2043? laughing) but be not afeared, I will NEVER shut up about it once it’s available!
Why am I saying all this? Because I want to encourage everyone reading this to submit your work to higher-ranked literary magazines. I know so many phenomenal writers. If I succeeded, YOU DEFINITELY CAN.
Essay image by Reion on The Noun Project.
sewing scary anglerfish
I designed this anglerfish and sent it away to Art Fabrics (Canadian alternative to Spoonflower) to be printed. I’m filled with delight by the resulting fabric.
This is my next project, a button down shirt which will feature the anglerfish on one side and the rest of the shirt will be ocean. Anytime I see a shirt which features just one illustration I want to wear it immediately, so creating one of my own is VERY exciting.
Workshops
Don’t miss my upcoming workshop! Horror Without Blood: Find out how to create a story FAR scarier than any slasher story.