Well, I submitted to Saranac Review. Then I took a six week break.
Obviously this wasn’t intentional, but just like the last two (three?) interruptions, I’m planning on getting back in the game, and fast.
The only problem is that things can change in six weeks. Obviously, they change more when you’re in the middle of a pandemic, but no matter why you’re taking a step back, you should always recheck guidelines before you start submitting again.
I’ve rechecked the rest of my previous list, and just like I thought, some of the publishers I’ve been trying to contact have made adjustments to their submission deadlines.
So I took notes, and revised the submission schedule into something a bit more manageable.
Week of 07/06/2020:
Harvard Review – https://www.harvardreview.org/submit/ – Ends Nov 27th
Hudson Review – https://hudsonreview.com/about-us/submission-guidelines/ – Ends Nov 30th
Week of 08/03/2020:
Sequestrum – https://www.sequestrum.org/submissions – Unknown
Antioch Review – http://review.antiochcollege.edu/guidelines – Unknown
Week of 09/01/2020:
The Fourth River – https://4thriver.submittable.com/submit – Starts Sep 1st
One Story – https://www.one-story.com/index.php?page=submit&pubcode=os– Starts Sept 8th
The Kenyon Review – https://kenyonreview.org/submission – Starts Sept 15th
And you know what? I’m feeling pretty good about this.
This will give me plenty of time to get back in the game, while also giving me space for whatever craziness is coming down the pipeline in 2020.
It’s aggravating when things get in the way of your writing success, but persistence is key to a lot of this stuff. There will always be a bill to pay or a family emergency to handle, or an issue with the federal government that will pull focus in your life. But shifting your expectations – and staying focuses on your end goals – can help you a lot when things get tough.
There’s always a way to get to your destination. And if one road is blocked, you can always find or make another one.