Interrupting The Blog Break
I know. I can’t stay away from all of you.
The thing is, after months of all of you being nice to me about my many rejections, you should really be the first to know that I just got an e-mail from Southern Humanities Review. They’re taking one of my stories.
How about that? It is entirely because I have such supportive and lovely friends, blogging and otherwise, that I didn’t throw away all those self addressed stamped envelopes and slink off into a gloomy place after this particular truth became apparent: You want to see your story published in a literary journal? You will have to be okay with seeing it rejected (wait a second, I need to count….) thirteen times in its first incarnation and ten times in its second, new and improved, form. Right, that’s 23 rejections. That number seems small. It’s entirely possible that I threw away ten or so other rejections without writing them down. I’m going with 33.
Back to editing now.
27 comments so far
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Hooray! Congratulations. I can’t wait to read the story.
Lily, this is such wonderful news! And so well-deserved. You have really hung in there! Congratulations!
Weeeeeee!!!!!
So completely happy for you, Lily! (Does that make me in the tank for you? With you? Whatev!)
Oh my gosh, you should be so proud of this milestone accomplishment. It takes great writing and great determination. I am not in the least bit surprised it has happened for you, and you should know you have inspired me, among other things, to revise and resubmit. Yayhooray! Sending you hugs and chocolatey goodness.
xo
E.
Awesome. Simply, simply awesome. I’m so excited for you!
Hooray, BlogLily! You are an inspiration.
Congratulations BL! Your perseverance paid off!
Congratulations Lily, that’s wonderful news, and so well-deserved!
Well worth a break in your editing, congratulations! Probably a good omen for your novel !?
So glad you shared the news. What a good piece of news it is too.
Kate, Thanks! You know, I’d never really thought very systematically about short fiction until I began reading stories as part of A Curious Singularity. (Yours, I’d add, are a model of that kind of singularity.) Anyway, I like writing them, and I like reading them, and that’s a delightful thing to discover.
Hey Sandi, One of the things that really helped me hang in there is that story you told me about your friend whose very first story was placed in The New Yorker, and then she went for ten years without anyone taking anything, but she kept going, and then she began to get regular acceptances, and novels, and stories, and novels…. Now THERE’s persistence.
Elizabeth, Yes, you’re obviously in the tank. Plus, you’re giving me chocolate. There’s such an obvious bias there, but then I have the same bias toward you, so that makes us even, except I haven’t yet figured out how to get you that chocolate.
Hi Genie, It’s just a question of watering and weeding, right?
Oh dear Charlotte, I don’t know about inspiration, but I’m happy to model the banging of one’s head against closed doors, or whatever is your metaphor of the day for the difficulty of getting anyone to read your stories.
Hello Polaris, Thank you. It’s so great to hear from you. I’ve got to go over to your blog and see what you’ve been doing in the northeast!
Dear Lokesh, It has meant a lot to me, your many well-timed words of encouragement. Thank you so much for that.
Dear Pauline, Oops. I’d better get back to that novel if that omen is going to be worth anything.
Lilalia, It is that indeed! xo
Congrats!
oh Yes!
which story?
the novel, you know, is next!
–op
That’s just awesome. Rock on, Lily!
You’re making me wonder if I should try fiction again. I don’t know…
Brilliant as ever, you! Congrats to high heaven. I can’t wait to see the story in print!
Oh Lily, hooray & congratulations, that is just the most wonderfully sweet news!! Yay!!!
Whee! LOVE.IT. Let us know the second it comes out and I will rush to get my copy.
Whee!
Awesome news, doncha know. We are all so gosh darn dingitty dang proud of you, you betcha!
Congrats, Bloglily! I’m not surprised at all and wish you many many more.
Good going, Bloglily! Thanks for sharing your good news with us!
Wonderful!
Woo-hoo!! Good for you for hanging in there through all the rejections.
yay!!!!!!!
Fab fab fab fab, and well deserved! Hurrah!
Congratulations!
I stumbled upon your blog today and it was so wonderful to be met by an entry like this one. I am sure it’s well deserved
Your blog is delightful, btw, and I will certainly be returning often.
Congratulations to you! You’ve worked hard…
Regards
Congrats.
xx
just checking in case you logged back in early…hope all is going very well and on target.