Lessons in Revision

My Writing Journey revisited

A few years ago, I wrote a short story and wanted to get it published. I was naive and new to the process of submitting, so I sent the story to twenty-four magazines, believing that would greatly increase my chances of getting published, hopeful it would be in a widely circulated magazine. For three months, I waited hoping for that magical moment when I read “Congratulations.”

The only thing I received was twenty-four rejection letters.

In my mind, my story, about a young woman and her challenging mother was a universal one, one that other readers would connect with. Disappointed, I wanted to prove to myself I could write, so I revised the story, changed it to fit magazines that called for stories about toxic relationships, and reimagined it with music as a theme. I rewrote different parts, made it longer, and changed the title. I resubmitted to every free submission on Submittable and since I had already submitted to well-known magazines, I began to submit to the lesser-known ones. I sent my story anywhere I hadn’t sent it before. My list of submissions grew from twenty-four to sixty. I searched the internet for every open submission. Then, after five months of rejection, I received the acceptance letter. Although it sounded like wonderful news, I didn’t react as expected.

I felt deflated, like a balloon that’s lost all of its air. The effort I’d put into writing my story was a monumental task. I had worked so hard for the moment when I opened my email and this time, instead of reading the dreaded opening line of “Thank you for submitting…,” I read, “Congratulations.”

If this was what I was waiting for, why was I disappointed? Here’s the reason; it wasn’t an acceptance by one of the well-known literary journals, or even one of the magazines that paid for stories.

Those opportunities disappeared in the two rounds of rejections. I could practically hear the frosty tone Annie used whenever I mentioned the names of journals I’d been published in. “Oh I’ve never heard of that one,” she’d say. Her pinched expression always reminded me of my lowly position in the publishing world. 

I spent the next two hours untangling my emotions although I didn’t understand the reasons for my angst. I felt distraught that after all that effort, only one magazine liked my story! To make matters worse, I had to withdraw my story from the other fourteen places I submitted and some of those places were well-known.

I called my best friend, the one who urged me to edit and revise the story to make it work, to make my characters more likable, and to change the focus of the story so it connected to the reader. As we talked about my reaction to the news I had longed to hear, she helped me see it wasn’t about being published in a magazine. It was about how most of us are never satisfied with what we get. The universal experience we all should practice is learning how to be grateful.

Fast forward four years. My list of submissions has grown to 200 entries, with 21 acceptances. I am now focused on writing companion essays for my upcoming memoir.

So here’s my latest news. Last week, I had an essay accepted by Today.com/parents, an online news & media website. The best part? They are paying $350 for my essay!