It’s probably not what you think it is
I received some amazing news yesterday: five of my poems were accepted for publication with a lit mag! I’m used to acceptances of single poems or maybe two, but never have I had my entire submission accepted. Excited doesn’t begin to cover it.
Among these poems is one very near and dear to my heart. I wrote it shortly after my papa’s passing in 2023. He was a wonderful man who fueled my love for writing with his own silly stories. I wrote several poems after his passing, but this one in particular felt to me like it most encapsulated my papa’s quiet joy at the simple things.
Unsurprisingly, getting rejections for this poem hurt. Sharing things that are near and dear to your heart often do. Our honest words can be misconstrued, misunderstood, or unappreciated. After several near misses and 40 rejections, I had decided to shelve this poem.
Cue the acceptance I received yesterday. I still had a few outstanding submissions considering this poem but I had chalked them up to likely rejections. The joy I felt at reading that not only would five of my poems be published in a couple weeks, but that this poem in particular would make its way out into the world was unmatched.
Which brings me to the title of my post. What’s a writer’s greatest asset? Surely the quality of the prose, an understanding of form and plot, and the quantity of books read factor in. These are all skills that writers need, but I would argue that none so much matter more than a writer’s honesty and perseverance.
Ernest Hemingway has often remarked on this: that “the writer’s job is to tell the truth” and if stuck, to “write the truest sentence that you know”. I agree with this. I firmly believe that honest writing, true writing, will always find a home. It may not be immediate, it may take many years and many rejections, but if the writer is earnestly seeking to publish truth, it’s inevitable that it will find its place in the world.
To my readers, I can’t wait to share more poems with you soon. And to my writers, I hope you write as honestly as your heart will allow.
Until next time!
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