Rejection!
Well, it’s October 20, 2005, and I still don’t have my manuscript sent off to all the competitions. Part of the problem with these competitions is that they have a fee to pay in order to compete. It’s usually $25. Well, I think I might be able to squeeze in two, but that’s about it. If I could, I’d send in 10 or more. BUT, I’d have to make all those copies, ship them to their destination, pay the entrance fee, and THEN wait to be rejected. I can take the rejection. I have been nothing but rejected at this point. But that’s okay. I only submitted stuff about 10 times. I mean, I’m just getting started.
Our Awards Banquet for our local Poetry Society is this coming Tuesday. I’m eager to find out if I won anything! I hope to, but the competition is tough. We have some really good poets competing. Only half of the categories can accommodate free verse. The rest are things like Cinquain, Rondeau, Sonnets, and the like. That’s okay by me. I am confident in my ability to make technically perfect bound verse. It’s just that every once in a while, the forced rhyme is REALLY forced; and that’s not good. One can really tell when it’s forced, and I can’t stand it.
What I do for structured poetry, is I write the line, what I want to say, and then work it until it fits. I match it syllable by syllable, foot by foot, and rhyme by rhyme. I love it! I would like to see a surge in classical form. BUT, I don’t think that is going to happen. With rap, and slam, and the popularity of prose poetry right now, I don’t see that happening.
It’s funny. Sometimes I want to make my mark in poetry history, and other times I’m perfectly happy with the local scene. It’s all in the mood. I think that I like the local feel of a working poet, not seeking to be the next Walt Whitman (not that anybody could be the next WW), then other times, I have like this huge ego. I think if I joined a critical writing group, I’d probably get brought down a peg. I sure many, many people would hate what I do. But I think I already new that, because I keep getting rejected.
Oh but to TRY is victory! Submitting, for me, is a victory in itself. I hate being rejected. I’ve always hated it. Who doesn’t? But slowly, my mind set is starting to change. I read somewhere that the more rejections you get, the closer you are to getting published.
Not that I write to get published… I don’t! But a little recognition would be fantastic! I hope to have some new poetry next time I post… We’ll see.
Our Awards Banquet for our local Poetry Society is this coming Tuesday. I’m eager to find out if I won anything! I hope to, but the competition is tough. We have some really good poets competing. Only half of the categories can accommodate free verse. The rest are things like Cinquain, Rondeau, Sonnets, and the like. That’s okay by me. I am confident in my ability to make technically perfect bound verse. It’s just that every once in a while, the forced rhyme is REALLY forced; and that’s not good. One can really tell when it’s forced, and I can’t stand it.
What I do for structured poetry, is I write the line, what I want to say, and then work it until it fits. I match it syllable by syllable, foot by foot, and rhyme by rhyme. I love it! I would like to see a surge in classical form. BUT, I don’t think that is going to happen. With rap, and slam, and the popularity of prose poetry right now, I don’t see that happening.
It’s funny. Sometimes I want to make my mark in poetry history, and other times I’m perfectly happy with the local scene. It’s all in the mood. I think that I like the local feel of a working poet, not seeking to be the next Walt Whitman (not that anybody could be the next WW), then other times, I have like this huge ego. I think if I joined a critical writing group, I’d probably get brought down a peg. I sure many, many people would hate what I do. But I think I already new that, because I keep getting rejected.
Oh but to TRY is victory! Submitting, for me, is a victory in itself. I hate being rejected. I’ve always hated it. Who doesn’t? But slowly, my mind set is starting to change. I read somewhere that the more rejections you get, the closer you are to getting published.
Not that I write to get published… I don’t! But a little recognition would be fantastic! I hope to have some new poetry next time I post… We’ll see.
posted by P. Allan Frederick | 4:20 PM
1 Comments:
I'll say a quick prayer for you so you win big! :)
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