Tuesday, February 24, 2009

End of the month TT

EotF Status

One query out.

 

T.C. Status

word count: 5,772

 

FwM Status

word count: 2,387

 

Color Poems

complete: 8

min needed for chapbook: 20

 

Previous Goals:

  • work more on synopsis, so I can send out next batch of queries - not ready, but getting whittled down
  • finish color poems in progress (green and violet) 
  • submit a batch of poems
  • get extra rest so I get better (awful sore throat, aching body, etc) 

 

Goals for this week:

  • more work on synopsis. don't want to rush it, or do too much in one sitting (gives me a headache)
  • write another color poem
  • revise 2 poems
  • write Anti-Ubduk poem 

 

Why I am getting discouraged with poetry submissions:

147 poems submitted to various markets since 2002.

47 last year alone.

only 3 accepted (from the same submission), and to a non-paying, online publication.

I'm not really surprised that my early poems didn't have success. I was young, and feel my poetry has matured and improved. So if we only count those starting in 2006, that's 119 poems sent. That's not even a 3% success rate. And only a handful of those rejections were personalized, two saying they were on the fence but ended up declining. I don't know how much is my poems, how much finding the right fit (if it even exists). I'm the guru, the experienced one in my poetry submission group (I'm the founder). I have all this experience in submitting poetry. But maybe I'm doing something wrong. Then there's my poetry critique group, where I'm the young one, the unpublished one. Ah well. I'll keep writing, polishing, and submitting. Maybe my numbers will look better in another five years.

 

((I'm just so afraid my queries will have the same success rate.....))

3 comments:

  1. i know how easy it is to get discouraged, but hang in there! the only way you can fail is if you give up, right? If you want another eye on your synopsis, I'm ready with my virtual red pen :)

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  2. Submissions are difficult. At the Writer's Conference I went to last weekend there was a lot of talk about how hard the economy has been on magazines and periodicals. Most everything in that area has really suffered--many closed down or became decreased how frequently they printed. You have to keep those kinds of things in mind. I know very little about poetry submissions, but I know that the most important thing about being a successful writer is perseverance. Just keep trying, it will turn up something eventually. :)

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  3. Thanks for the encouragement, Jenn. Lynn, maybe I'll take you up on that offer once I get my synopsis in a more readable state.

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