2020 was a tough year in terms of self-motivation and sitting down to actually write (or read, or do anything beyond doomscrolling and video games). The Coronaverse was overwhelming—the unknowns, the paranoia, the deaths, the blur of weeks spent indoors. I write, but the desire dwindles.

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Although teaching is ridiculously time-consuming, I still try to write on the side. Here are the rejection letters I received over the course of 2019. Some of these works ended up being published later. Others were blogged or tossed into some backwater folder, never to be unearthed again.

Also, let me be clear. I do not harbor any of these magazines any ill will. Rejection is a constant in any writer’s attempts at a literary career. There’s breathing, there’s eating, and there’s a monthly rejection letter in the inbox.

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The following is a record of the rejection letters for my prose and poetry that I received in 2018. This is a total account; my embarrassing 2-3 rejections per month are a living, working reality. I’ve cut greetings (hello, dear writer, etc.), story titles, and editor names for some mixture of brevity and privacy.

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I’m not just a braggart. Swing by my Rejections page to see my letters of reject from 2018.

Two rejections in one day. I really don’t feel like posturing any false sense of confidence – well, look at how many times they rejected Harry Potter, and didn’t they say Vonnegut’s account of the bombing of Dresden wasn’t “compelling enough?”

None of that. I’ve no illusions.

And I know the Ancient Greeks didn’t believe in hard work and no gain; they valued excellence. That’s why there wasn’t second place in the Olympics.

But I’m okay. I think I’ll start collecting these emails. If anything, they’ll make interesting wallpaper.