I was thrilled yesterday to receive an acceptance for a poem I wrote this year called “Flight of Fancy.” The poem will be published in The Field Guide Poetry Magazine.
“Flight of Fancy” is one of the poems I wrote during National Poetry Writing Month, also known as NaPoWriMo. During the month of April, many poets commit to writing one poem per day. The idea is to simply write the poems without worrying about editing or perfecting them. I joined a small group of poets who committed to the task, sending their work to each other each day only for the purpose of encouraging each other.
The format worked for me. Out of the 30 poems I wrote in April, perhaps 20 have what I consider real potential. I have edited a number of them since then, and finally sent a few out. As writers know, rejection is more common than acceptance in this game, and the first set I sent out was rejected (however, at least I received one of those “nice rejections” that invites the writer to submit again…it’s funny how we celebrate even “nice rejections” because it’s a tough publishing world out there). When I received the acceptance for this poem, it made my day.
Persist — you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Happy Thanksgiving to my U.S. readers. May your holiday be peaceful, joyful, and safe.
