by Avi (’15)

It’s only unrequited on a good day.

In Creative Writing we are all familiar with the process of submitting. Also we are very familiar with that fill-in-the-blank rejection letter. When submitting work you must ask yourself, what am I submitting? Are you submitting a poem? What kind of poem? Who might be interested in this poem? Once you have decided upon your audience you must search for the publication place that has the audience that you think would enjoy this poem. For instance, your poem about unrequited love would not fit on a website focusing on humorous writing. There is a website called duotrope.com which allows you to apply filters, fiction or poetry, style of writing, and helps you find publications that have the audience your piece seeks. Your writing is more likely to be accepted at places that publish work similar to your style. There is a huge diversity of publications, and it is very likely that at least one of them will contain writing that interests you, and you will follow in the future, and will be an excellent place to showcase your work. This is your writing, and where it’s published matters. Read a the blog or publication, and then evaluate whether your work belongs on that site. The sites are lucky to get your work, do not be discouraged, when you are rejected it does not mean that your writing is not good, it just means that that website does not have the right audience for you.