Tag: submissions

The Year’s Not Over Yet!

Published on by gilliampoet1 Comment

Looking to get some final submissions in before we say good-bye to 2025? Here are some places that are open for submissions! Click the link to be taken to their submission guidelines.

FREE

Posit is accepting prose and poetry until December 5.

Have a good sense of humor? Defenestration is accepting short stories, poetry, creative nonfiction and visual submissions and seeking humorous pieces through December 5.

Up the Staircase Quarterly is accepting poetry and visual art until December 10. They have a tip jar option for $3.

Southern Florida Poetry Journal (SoFloPoJo) is open to poetry, essays, and flash fiction until December 14.

Fish Barrel Review is open to poetry, prose, and visual art until December 15. Submissions are free, but they do also have paid option for expedited responses or feedback.

The theme for Spectrum‘s Vol. 69 is ‘consumption.’ You can submit fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and art until December 31.

Psychopomp is accepting poetry, fiction, nonfiction until December 31.

PAID

For a $3, $5, or $10 donation, Passages North is accepting fiction, poetry, short-shorts, and nonfiction until December 13.

OnlyPoems is open to both free and paid submissions for poetry until December 15.

Red Ogre Review is accepting poetry, music, and visual art until December 31 for $3 or $5 donations.

For a $3 reading fee, Five Points is accepting very short fiction until December 31.

Arc Poetry is accepting poetry submission for a fee of $2 per poem until December 31.

Calyx is accepting poetry and prose until December 31 for a $5 fee ($3 if you are a student).

These are only a handful of the journals that are currently open to submissions. There’s still time to get your writing in before the end of the year. Start 2026 off strong by submitting before December ends!

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Why You Should Embrace Rejection

Published on by gilliampoetLeave a comment

For many writers, rejection is a painful word. It’s the moment when your carefully crafted story, poem, or article is turned down by someone who didn’t see its potential—or worse, didn’t even bother to respond. But what if rejection didn’t mean failure? What if it actually meant progress?

The 100 Rejections Mindset

The idea is simple: Instead of focusing on success—acceptances, accolades, and bylines—shift your focus to failure. Aim to collect 100 rejections in a calendar year. This goal reframes rejection as proof of effort, not failure. Rejections become proof that you’re putting yourself out there and working toward your dreams.

The magic of this mindset lies in its paradox: By chasing rejection, you often end up with more acceptances than you expected.

Why 100 Rejections?

  1. It Builds Resilience
    Rejection is part of being a writer, but the more you face it, the less it hurts. When you set a goal of 100 rejections, you stop fearing the word “no.”
  2. It Normalizes the Process
    Submitting work becomes routine. Submitting your work feels less scary when you do it often. You stop overthinking and start seeing rejection as a normal part of the process.
  3. It Forces You to Write More
    To hit 100 rejections, you have to write and submit consistently. This sheer volume of effort improves your craft and increases your chances of success.
  4. It Turns Rejection into a Metric of Success
    Each rejection becomes a badge of honor. It’s not a reflection of your worth, but of your determination.

How to Get Started

  1. Make a Plan
    Use a notebook, spreadsheet, or app to track where and when you submit your work. Keep it organized so you can follow up if needed.
  2. Research Markets
    Find magazines, websites, anthologies, or publishers that align with your work. Having options makes it easier to submit regularly which in turn makes it easier it is to hit your goal.
  3. Celebrate Rejections
    Instead of feeling bad, celebrate each rejection as a step forward. Whether with a small treat, a happy dance, or by simply updating your tracker, take note of your hard work!
  4. Revise and Resubmit
    Not all rejections are final. Many editors give feedback. Use it to revise and submit elsewhere.

Unexpected Benefits

Here’s the secret: the more you submit, the more likely you are to get accepted. The sheer number of submissions increases your odds. And over time, you’ll notice patterns—certain markets might respond positively to your work, or you might discover that a piece rejected by one publication is a perfect fit for another.

It’s Worth It

The fear of rejection often holds writers back. But when you embrace it—when you actively pursue it—it loses its power. Aiming for 100 rejections a year might sound scary at first, but it’s one of the best ways to grow as a writer.

So, what are you waiting for? Start chasing those rejections. You’ll be amazed at what you can achieve when you stop letting rejection scare you.