Publishing Roulette

Publishing is the hardest aspect of writing. Some say it’s editing, while others argue that it’s the writing process itself. But it isn’t. Editing and writing are inside a writer’s control. Getting published is not. It can be very easy to stake our self-worth on how much we get published, and where we get published. If a piece of writing doesn’t get published, we can easily assume that no one in the entire universe will ever like this piece. But that’s a ridiculous notion. We, as writers, Publishing is the hardest aspect of writing. Some say it’s editing, while others argue that it’s the writing process itself. But it isn’t. Editing and writing are inside a writer’s control. Getting published is not. It can be very easy to stake our self-worth on how much we get published, and where we get published. If a piece of writing doesn’t get published, we can easily assume that no one in the entire universe will ever like this piece.

But that’s a ridiculous notion. We, as writers, are constantly blind-sided by the industry. A finished work has just as much chance of rejection as an unfinished work; publication cannot gage how “good” a piece of writing is. Writing is an interpretive art form. The bad news is, not everyone is going to like everything you write. But the good news is, there is always going to be someone out there who loves what you’re writing, and how you’re doing it. A lit mag somewhere might decide to publish your writing–but you have to take that chance.