Midweek Notes from a Practicing Writer

jackpotJackpot!

Let’s be honest. Much of the time, when we send work to magazines and websites, we may feel as though we’re gambling.

At the very least, we’re taking a risk. What are the chances that an editor will actually say “yes” to whatever we may have sent in? How may we feel when that all-too-likely rejection shows up? (For that matter, even acceptances can feel risky: How will others respond to our work once it’s published?)

Events of the past week within my own writing practice have made me feel as though I hit the jackpot. Suffice to say: I have never had a week like this one before.

In brief: This week brought acceptances for five poems, to be published by three discrete (and paying!) venues, all of which can already count me among their faithful and admiring readers. Several of them were time-sensitive submissions and will be published fairly soon. (In fact, one of them was posted on the Forward‘s Sisterhood blog late yesterday.)

I’ll have more to say about them once they’re all available for you to read. (And there’s a bonus: One of the soon-to-be-published poems was also accepted for an anthology to be published next year; that one won’t pay beyond a copy and a discount on additional purchases, but I’m still so happy. I guess this means that there were, in fact, six acceptances in the past week!)

I’m practically pinching myself.

On a Related Note

Yes, I’ve sent in my May submission stats for sharing on Jessica Piazza’s Poetry Has Value website. (But these latest acceptances will show up in the next tally, for June.) I’ll be sure to let you all know when Jessica has published the May update.

Day-Job News

Yesterday brought the inaugural post in a new series on the Fig Tree Books blog. For the foreseeable future, we’ll be taking regular (monthly, I anticipate) looks back on works that have won the Edward Lewis Wallant Award. Check out that first installment, will you, please?

11 thoughts on “Midweek Notes from a Practicing Writer

  1. Wonderful news, Erika, mazel tov!

  2. Paul Beckman says:

    Mazel tov, Erika.

  3. Jill Siebers says:

    Congratulations, Erika ~ fantastic news!

  4. Erwin K. Roberts says:

    Wow! Did you buy a lottery ticket, too?

    Congrats…

  5. Your persistence and talent have brought rewards – very pleased for you, Erika!

  6. Erika Dreifus says:

    Thank you all so much for these gratifying responses. (Yes, maybe I should have bought a lottery ticket, too!)

  7. Your generosity in sharing information is paralleled only by your talent. Thank you!

    1. Erika Dreifus says:

      Oh, how kind of you to say!

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