Winning at Battleship and Lit Mags—It’s a Process
My husband and I like to play board games: Monopoly, backgammon, Scrabble and one of my favorites, Battleship. We set up on either side of the coffee table in the living room and place our plastic ships on the pegboard seas. Like a flip of a coin, I win the battle about half the time. It feels random. I wonder: Is there a strategy to winning this game?
I google it and learn that, yes, there are best ways to position your ships. Don’t let them touch. Use an asymmetrical layout. And best tactics to find your opponent’s ships? Aim for the center to start. Guess in diagonal lines. Pay attention to your opponent’s facial expressions and physical behavior, look for clues. Winning isn’t random if your strategic and follow a process.
Playing Battleship reminds me of submitting and getting published in literary magazines. How? Stick with me (it’s a metaphor). Let me share a couple of stories.
A friend wrote an essay with an interesting structure and unique, powerful content. She submitted the essay over 30 times, always rejected. But she believed in the essay and wanted it published and read. (And I agree, it’s a stellar essay. I’ve taught with this essay more than once.) She kept going and submitted the essay to a highly revered, print journal, a journal with a high bar to entry. The reviewing editor kindly forwarded it to the editor of the journal’s online publication, which has different needs and more capacity. Submission 31: Accepted.
What can we learn from this?
Good writing gets rejected.
Editors want to publish good writing.
Submitting takes patience, commitment, and a bit of stubbornness.
Writers need to research the journals they submit to and follow the guidelines closely.
My friend was stubborn (and lucky that the essay was forwarded).
Another friend sent his story to a new, online journal. The journal boasted a relatively quick review time: one to two months. He heard back in three weeks. A positive rejection: This is a no, but we enjoyed your writing and we’d be pleased to see more. A couple months later my friend submitted a new piece, one that he thought fit this journal—the journal likes flash and experimental and he writes short and edgy. In his cover letter, he made sure to reference their earlier encouragment to submit again. Two days later he got an email: Accepted.
And we learn what?
Editors want to publish good writing. Again, good writing gets rejected.
Reading the journals and knowing what they publish is essential.
Submitting is establishing a relationship. When asked to submit again—do.
My friend stayed on top of it.
And one of my stories. I had an essay doing the rounds. (In fact, I try to always have a handful of essays out on submission.) This essay had been workshopped and revised several times. I felt it was polished and ready. I submitted the essay to seven journals. My top targets. Seven times—No. But three of the journals sent positive rejections. One said. “Though we decided against accepting your manuscript, we want you to know that we found it particularly compelling.” Nice, but still no publication. I re-evaluated. Was there something not quite working? I asked a writer whose instincts I trust to review the essay. We exchange work, so I’ve returned this favor many times. I made a few tweaks but for the most part her feedback was, “It’s ready, send it out.” I did—to two more journals that I’ve read, researched and felt were a good fit. Journal eight rejected the essay but added, “…we wanted to let you know that our readers did like your work.” Journal nine’s response: Accepted.
My takeaways:
Editors want to publish good writing—Send the work when it’s ready.
Having critique partners who can give you honest, craft-based feedback is important. The process is reciprocal.
Submitting is establishing a relationship. My work now is to submit new writing (that fits) to the journals that sent positive rejections.
I was fortunate. Nine submissions—not that many. Timing and luck play a part in what gets accepted in lit mags too. The keys are: Be strategic. Keep hitting submit. And remember, it’s a process.
Back to Battleship. I’ve begun to keep a tally of my wins and losses. I think carefully about where I place my ships, the same way I think through what journals are the best fit for my writing. I take my time and watch my husband’s face and movements. I’m patient. If my husband gets a few hits or sinks a ship, I stick with it and focus on where his ships are hiding. I’m strategic about, committed to, even stubborn about winning. So far, my wins have a slight edge over my losses. I’m gaining ground, and I keep top of mind—it's a process.
Andrea will be teaching The World of Lit Mags: How to Get Published and More on April 20 for the Write or Die community, details here.
