If you’re taking your writing seriously, then you probably have a space, time, even specific snack or drink you take to your writing spot to work. My own routine requires a big mug of tea, my cell phone in another room, the door shut, and some classical music.  I used to think in a little way that if I did everything in my writing routine on time and stayed ultra organized all the time, then maybe the journals I was submitting to would know it and publish all my poems.  This is wrong and stupid.

A great mentor of mine was nice enough to tell me about her own writing routine. When she showed me her own way of organizing submissions, it made me realize I needed to be a little more like her, keeping track of everything you submit but not lingering upon it. The best advice is to just keep going. Keep submitting and keep writing. Even though I sometimes hate working with an Excel spreadsheet, it can work possible wonders on keeping submissions organized. (It also feels really good when you can fill in the Excel squares with “Yes, Accepted!”) There are plenty of writer’s blogs with great tips and suggestions, but for me, when a writer I really like blogs about a recent rejection of their own, I might do a slight fist pump into the air. It feels good to know that many good writers get told “No!” before they’re slapped on the back and told “Yes!”