Okay, that may be a wee bit dramatic. Perhaps “Submission Limbo” would be a better title.
For the past week, whenever I’ve needed a break from SW, I’ve focused on revising poems– some ancient little things, leftover from my MFA days, others very new, only just squirmed onto paper. I haven’t spent a lot of time in this genre of late, and it was invigorating to delve back into the nuances of sound and language, view my poems as fresh beasts. And beasts some of them were. <shudder>
I figured, since I was already at it, I should also check my poetry submission log, the excel worksheet I use for tracking all my poems and chapbooks out in the world.
<cough>
If computer programs could get dusty, this one would be riddled with mites.
It was time to reenter the publication circuit.
I threw together a few different submission packets, sent them out to maybe a gazillion different journals and magazines.
It’s been a few days now. Most of my submissions are still swimming out in the ether, as expected. But it’s nerve-wracking, folks. Even though I’ve been an editor on a couple journals and I remember the time + energy this process takes, even though I know I won’t receive notification for weeks, if not months, I still have to force myself not to obsess and check the submission managers 29 times a day.
(Yes, 29. Yesterday I failed. And I counted.)
How do you handle the submission process? What strategies do you have for thickening your skin during the painful publication/rejection wait?
Jennifer Voyles 