The Losing Game: Writing Acceptances 8 + 9/?

Given that it's December 31st, 11:45 AM Toronto time, (I don't care if it's EST or MST or PST or MSG or PMS. It's Toronto time.) I think the count is more or less finalized. The numbers will come in tomorrow, because editors are like writers are like artists are like what seems to be all creatives - there are many among us who get things in reeeeal last minute. Grant due December 31st, 11:59 PM? We'll get it in at 11:57 and say we got it in early. So it's entirely possible there's a last minute rejection or acceptance hiding just around the corner. It'll come in during the count down, like, "Nobody escapes the inevitable chaos of the universe!" and I'll be like "time is so arbitrary why would I expect anything to be different because it's the last day of the year and I'm drinking the 2 oz left in every bottle still taking up space in my cabineeeeeeettttttttt!" and meanwhile all my friends will be smooching each other because that's the New Years rule and I'll be like "maybe I should put down my phone sometimes." and the new year will be like "lul good luck with that, we don't believe in resolutions." and I'll finish the kahlua.

(This gif chosen for Dee, Monica, and Tyler, who fought so hard to make me like this show. I don't, but I appreciate their efforts. Also because nothing else comes up for new years kiss.) I've digressed. Even though I believe in goals year round and the word resolution rubs me the wrong way, I do have creative goals for 2019. My writing goal is a sort of 1-year plan, if you will: I plan on continuing to refine and send out the manuscript I completed in 2018. I would ideally like to have it accepted somewhere by this day 2019. My personal goal is to unlock all of the characters in Smash Brothers Ultimate. And uh, we're halfway there.

But I don't want to look ahead too much, because this is one of the major ways I've found that creatives burn themselves out. They don't celebrate the marks they've hit, and keep looking to the things they haven't achieved yet. So I'd like to celebrate the last two lit journal responses I haven't documented this year: 2 acceptances from 2 journals I love a lot that I haven't appeared in yet. I love being published in general, but especially in places I haven't been published in before, because it gives me the (probably false) impression that I'm a lot of peoples' cup of tea. Being a big personality and an argumentative, opinionated woman, that's something entirely new to me. I'm not so much an earl grey, which seems to be literally everyone's cup of tea. I'm more of a bitter horseradish tea, in that there are probably some people who like it, but they're weirdos, and also in that I sometimes wonder if I exist.

Boy, I'm really highlighting my lack of attention span in this post, but it's the end of the year, and I think we all know it's been long. I'm thrilled to have them. I'm thrilled to have you. I'm thrilled that a gif of Jimmy Fallon maybe having to drink horse radish exists. Here are the acceptances.

[WRITING ACCEPTANCE 8/?] Dear Erin, Thank you for sending us "Gemini." We enjoyed this piece and would like to publish it in the next issue of Qwerty. Please respond to this message to confirm that your work is still available, and please also include a .doc file of the piece and a brief bio (50-100 words). Congratulations! Best, QWERTY

[WRITING ACCEPTANCE 9/?]

Dear Erin (If I may,)

Thank you again for your submission. Our editors would like to publish "I Think of the Lake Back Home" in an upcoming issue of The Dalhousie Review. Can you please send me your assurances that the work has not been previously published or accepted for publication elsewhere? That being the case, please send along a signed copy of the attached Author Agreement, as well as a 2 -3 line biographical note.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Take care,

The Dalhousie Review

So there we go. Two acceptances. I'm over the moon like a jumping cow. I submitted more than ever this year, and I have more rejections AND acceptances to show for it. There were months I didn't send my work out as much as I wanted to because life warped to light speed. It happens. It's okay. The temptation is there to be mad at myself, but it's a ridiculous temptation. We are doing this for ourselves, not to ourselves. If you're still on the fence about this process and willing to hear advice from somebody who hasn't done anything particularly amazing, please let me lovingly bully you to try to submit your work once a month. Even if you don't think it's good enough. Do it to get into the practice. Do it to make rejection less scary. Just do it. I want to see your work. I want to own your book. I'll display it prominently on my bookshelf. Finally, thank you to everyone who followed this journey with me. I appreciate all of the support you've offered me. I appreciate getting those messages about how you've sent out your work. Please keep telling me when you do something brave, because I like cheering for you. I've enjoyed sharing the 2018 journey with everyone. It's my sincerest hope that it's given you something you can take with you. But again, if you're just here for the gifs, that's okay too.

Until next year -E.B. Kirsh