Carol A. Stephen

This week I had a poem accepted for The Light Ekphrastic’s next issue coming up online soon. And I sent off two to another online journal, The Rose & Thorn.  Fingers crossed!  And I realized where I get bogged down when trying to do submissions is the deciding which poems are suitable and whether or not they are ready.  Often I think they are, but when the time comes, something has changed and I decide that either they are wrong for the publication or still need tinkering.

Besides that, I think I have too many possible places to submit and other projects like my next chapbook that I want to start and I lose that elusive focus I am seeking this year.  I think submitting has become an extra pressure that keeps getting in the way. So, I am going to try to select ONE place to submit and review the poems that might fit it. I am not going to set a goal of one per week right now, I am just going to go through the current calls I have already printed out, and as I review my poems for my chapbook will watch for any that will fit that one call. But my priority will be the chapbook. (or perhaps book, if I have enough poems!)

My challenge for the week to come is to maintain focus on assembling the book poems.  Crossing my fingers!  Carol