Challenge Accomplished: Submit x 10

I’m happy to report that I hit my goal for Submit x 10. It was a small goal but I’m proud to have accomplished it!

To meet this goal, I used Submission Grinder. It’s a great web-based tool that lets you track the pieces you submit and get information about magazines, such as rejection and acceptance rates. And most importantly–it’s free!

Many years ago, I used Duotrope, which is a paid service. And I gotta tell you, if you don’t regularly make money to offset the subscription, it’s not worth it. You can get all the functionality you need from Submission Grinder.

I submitted a few different poems that I felt pretty good about. As of right now, I’m waiting to hear back from 5 different places. Rejection rates are really high basically everywhere but getting used to hearing no is not just important for a writer’s life, it’s important for life in general. Get used to it and keep going. Try something new–a different market or a different poem. There’s a lot of no in this world. Let it sharpen your skills rather than dampen your enthusiasm.

Photo by Jan Kahánek on Unsplash