It’s discouraging,…

It's discouraging, sending off manuscripts to the lit markets, who sometimes send back encouraging little notes but mostly just say no. In fact, they entirely say no, even though some try to mitigate the no with encouragement. If even one of them said yes once, it would be far less discouraging and far more encouraging and I wouldn't find manuscript mailing day so tedious and frustrating.

But I did it anyway -- yesterday I printed out a copy of "Monsoon Day" (the one my advisor said was 'haunting') and sent it to Threepenny Review, and sent a copy of "Tightness in the Chest" to Esquire (maybe a reach, but hey, it's about a guy, which is unusual for me), and I sim subbed "A Gentle Man" to Paris Review, Granta, Gettysburg Review, Indiana Review, Crab Orchard Review, Hayden's Ferry Review, Malahat Review, and Tin House. (Yes, all of those places accept sim subs.) Also prepped manuscripts of it to send to Boulevard and Massachusetts Review, to put in the mail 10/1, when their reading period opens. In the process, I did a fair bit of updating of the literary market list, to make it easier for you too to bang your head against that particular wall. So I'm feeling virtuous and frustrated, all at once.

On the plus side, Kev and I are going down to Hyde Park to work today -- samosas from Rajun Cajun! Browsing at 57th Street! Hopefully hanging out in the C-Shop and getting lots of writing done (we're not entirely sure it's open, since school hasn't started yet, but if not, we'll find a cafe elsewhere). I'm going to write the editorial, come hell or high water, and Jed, I'm going to take a stab at starting that story today. You have been warned.