Supernatural Feat - August 2025
About Writing and And Art and Rejection and What You Want and What You Need
Thinking about truth. And art. And expression. Not worth going into details here, but I took a small 20+ year break from submitting my writing in earnest. Then about a year ago I started doing that again. Pretty much just to online places. This means mostly getting rejected from online places.
Getting rejected is the best. No sarcasm.
When I get rejected
0) I realize it's a numbers game
Need to get the math of it out of the way. Places can only publish so many things. A small percentage. Very small. This is important, but I want to talk about what is art here, so we won't go into any more the economies of journal submissions. The meat of this essay is:
When I get rejected
1) I'm pissed
Let's talk about pissed. I'm a lover and a damn-near pacifist but I'm also competitive as hell and I want to kill who/whatever is my opponent. Not kill kill. I'm not a kill killer ok? But, especially if you're competitive, you know what I mean. So getting rejected is, in a way, losing. I don't like it. Makes me mad. There's an important thing here though, that I'll talk more about in a sec: I'm not mad at anyone. Never mad at an editor for not wanting to publish my thing. Ever. (Editors can be disrespectful of you and/or your work, but that is different and rare.) So getting a No makes me be like pshh fuck you buddy, but also no worries friend! The other thing: rejection happens a lot. Rejection is what happens most. Being pissed the most is not healthy. So let's talk about:
When I get rejected
2) I feel really good about myself and my art
Ok, yeah, I'm pissed, but I'm pissed because I believe in my work. I am my work's biggest advocate, its best friend, its coach, its parent, its brother, its teddy bear, its lunch lady, its warm blanket, its one of those huge bean bags, its cold drink after digging a ditch, its grilled cheese with tomato soup, its Hallmark card, yada yada. My work is me. I am it. And all of those other things.
The good feeling from rejection comes from: I do not place any merit in the rejection as a value judgement on how good the piece is. It feels good, as a writer, as an artist, to not give a fuck about what someone else thinks is good. I do not for one second, ever, ever, not even if there is a fire, try to fit any standard because I believe they are all made up and mostly boring.
The good feeling is: I am comfortable as an artist to express myself. Getting rejected and not feeling like a failure on someone else's terms confirms that I am doing real and true art. Art and craft are separate. If everyone makes the same sculpture is it art or have the people perfected the craft of making that particular sculpture?
Why I write is because I can't help it. Why I write is because I am sharing my conscious experience. If a person or persons with a website or whatever don't want to publish something then fuck them (but not literally them, not the human beings them) and also no problem friend (this is the human being part) and also I have not failed at all, in fact I have succeeded because I don't care, but also still fuck them (again, not literally them, this is not a vindictive fuck you don't forget) because what I have to say is worthwhile. It's complicated but many things can be true at once.
All art is valuable. Good art is difficult (to create and to consume). Most people will not like what you make. You should love what you make while also being the most critical of what you make.
Beyond that we're talking about different aspects of craft. And I'm not a person who cares to talk about craft. It's just not for me. I'm going to make what I'm going to make according to however it comes out. That is my truth. Workshopping, not my thing. Group projects, not my thing. A flash fiction class or whatever, not interested. These are all basically drink wine and paint things. That's fun and all that, but, for me, for what I believe, that's not art.
Also, seriously, no offense to anyone who enjoys/does/runs/pays for/loves/believes in any of these things. It's fine. You do you however works for you. Make your stuff in your way. Be happy.
For me:
Creating, on my own terms, that which refuses to stay uncreated, is my definition of art. Getting rejected reminds me of that; a rejection will not make me bend.
It also makes a Yes that much more awesome. Because this truth that is mine and mine alone has resonated with another human, rather than: I made something to fit another's standards. Which is better? More beautiful?
So, full circle, what's the point? Writing and submitting are two separate deals. Spending so long writing without submitting (and also just aging and maturing and deeply exploring things that are not at all writing) I think got me here. It is what it is. It's my journey and not yours. Your journey is cool and valuable and must be made. Don't listen to me.