Late March 2026: 5 Goals Accomplished

To me, it's funny, the nature of publishing your work. The way I do it is, anyway. I send out TONS of stories to TONS of publications all the time. I'm pretty sure I have 57 pending right now... and I have 4 more that I will be sending this week. I'm constantly sending more, getting turned down by places, waiting, writing, sending more, getting turned down more... and then every once in a while... you get the acceptance.

Oftentimes, the acceptance comes months after I've sent it, and I have so many things pending, that I have to go back and look to see when it was that I sent it. It's not like I forget that I send these things. Not at all. But it's more like, "Awesome! Accepted! When did I send that one out, anyway?"

The funny part is maybe best exemplified with this type of scenario, where I got word I was accepted by a publication a few weeks ago, and they said they'd let me know when it would be publishing. Exciting stuff. And while waiting, I got word from another publication that they wanted to accept my piece. I, of course, said yes. And then in just days... it was up! Thank you Spadina Literary Review! That makes 3 publications that I've been published in this year.

While waiting to hear about when one story would go live, I got another acceptance AND saw that one hit the interwebs. They all operate on different timelines. But like always, when you get the acceptance letter, and you read the bits of praise, it's such a great little high.

I love the praise. But there's that extra bit of excitement when-- as someone who lives in the U.S.-- you get hit with the Canadian "honoured." That extra "u" that we don't use in the States... I think it gives extra honor, no? I'm honored that their honoured... and it feels fancy all around. Spadina Literary Review being an international quarterly based in Toronto, well, that's a fancy hono(u)r to me. By the way, my story is "When True Love Comes-A-Texting" and you can read it for free on their site right now! (And also all the other great stories and poems in this issue.)

I had written this story in July of 2025, and then sent it out to several different places. I sent it to Spadina in October. I kept sending it places, even sending it to some publications just a couple weeks ago. A few places had declined it... and then Spadina accepted it... and it was time to play the withdraw game. I think I had 5 places it was still pending a response that I had to withdraw it from.

And now, it is a part of Issue 48 on Spadina Literary Review. Seeing your work as part of a collection is such a satisfying feeling.

I definitely savor these moments for a while. You have to. After having been turned down 447 times, 17 of those coming after a Second Round or after a Semifinalist Round or after having been Shortlisted, and the other 430 times just being straight rejections, you have to savor the acceptances. That's what it's all about. Getting your work out there. No matter how many times you get told no. Because inevitably, you're going to get told no a lot... and if you're not, my thoughts, you're not doing it right.

While we're in the midst of March Madness and the runup to the postseason for the NBA, how about a basketball analogy? Acceptance is like the postseason. Rejection is like the regular season. You don't get to the postseason without going through the regular season first. It's impossible. It's literally the prerequisite. Technically, you won't get accepted and until you submit. But submitting is strictly tied to getting rejected. (Unless if you are some amazing prodigy who submits and only gets accepted, then chances are you don't give a damn what I have to say and aren't even reading this.) If you aren't getting accepted, it's because you aren't submitting and getting rejected first. If you are submitting and getting rejected... good. You're right on track.

This story "When True Love Comes-A-Texting" feels closely tied to this subject of rejection, or the thought of rejection, or the possibility of rejection. Maybe it has a little bit to do with dealing with rejection in your own way, with staying true to yourself. Maybe you'll read it and take away something else entirely. Whatever the case may be, I hope you enjoy it!