The “sent” section of my inbox is full of submissions to literary journal after literary journal. Some I submitted almost a year ago and still haven’t heard back; others I got rejected within hours. Trying to get your work out there is like trying to jump up and touch a cloud. Yeah sure it can be fun, but at some point you just get exhausted.
The exhaustion can be part of the fun, though. Being able to keep going even after you’ve failed time after time is a kind of exhilaration I wish words could describe. I know we’ve all heard that a million times, but I think it’s especially true when creating something. Committing to working on something and pouring effort into it is already such a vulnerable thing that to have it rejected is a straight gutpunch. That’s why continuing to try requires the kind of grit that makes you feel invincible.
But, how do you have grit? I honestly don’t know.
I don’t think there’s any secret formula or thing to do that can give you grit; you just have to decide you have it, even if it takes some convincing. I’m the first person to give up when something doesn’t serve me, and I will freely admit that (I tried to quit driving; my parents didn’t let me). Some things I just decide are important enough to keep trying, and poetry is one of them.
Once I decide something is worth it, I just keep trying. When one of my poems got rejected, I just submit it somewhere else without taking the rejection too seriously. There were, and still are, moments when I want to quit, but the satisfaction of knowing I built something is enough to keep me going. We’re all building our lives. It’s up to us to decide what parts of it we want to build and expand and what parts we leave behind.
Obviously, there’s no set criteria for if something is worth building. You have to decide that for yourself. My criteria is if in the future I would regret not doing something more than I currently hate doing it (at least that’s how I’m getting myself through learning to drive).
Sometimes, you make the wrong decision. You pursue something that isn’t worth it or quit something you shouldn’t have. It’s inevitable. I regret not trying harder to stick with theater. That’s when you have to reevaluate your criteria.
Until Next Time,
Ella Greene
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Ella Greene is a young writer from Buffalo, New York who writes Teenage Tuesday and has had poetry featured in numerous journals including Maudlin House and BlazeVox. Ella is a senior in high school and is involved in numerous clubs including Broadcast club, STUCO, Rising Electorette, Yearbook, Drama Club, a
