A Writer's Notebook, Day Seven-Hundred-And-Seventy-Seven

I got a very long and detailed email from Freesia McKee tonight, discussing some of her thoughts on my work, as to why it is being rejected.  It is not a science, by any means, but a large part of what she observed is that my work tends to be subtle and small, in many ways.  I often do not use a lot of specific images, choosing to rely upon a more universal, less grounded, palette.  To me, this often feels more genuine, and I tend to think it allows me to create work that is relatable, that is easy for anyone to connect with, and expands into specifics from there.  The question is, whether the reason I am not finding success in getting work placed is because my poems are too subtle and are not recognized when they are first seen.  I think that may well be true, and it is worth knowing that I have many poems that do not follow the trends I am describing here at all.  I write enough that I have poems of many different types at this point, but the tendencies that are described above reflect a great deal of my work, and are in line with the directions of my thinking and approach, as a rule.

There are several aspects of this that I need to consider, for myself.  For one thing, I do not have any issue with attempting to move my work in new directions, but I also do not wish to abandon the things that feel significant to me.  I need to synthesize an understanding of certain aspects of contemporary preferences, but I also must do so within work that feels as genuine to me.  That may be an non-issue, to be honest, as I think it might be impossible for me to not utilize the tools I rely upon, even if attempting work that takes off in new directions. 

I am also aware that this may not be at all helpful, in the end.  I have little way of knowing if these really are the things causing my work to be rejected so consistently.  I haven't received a great deal of actual feedback other than the fact of the rejection itself, and that is rather impenetrable.  I recognize that my work is not altogether typical of contemporary poetics, in some ways, but it is also not as if the modern poetry community is a monolith.  There is no singular kind of work that is being published, and their are many poets with unique styles and qualities.  It is not as if their is one thing so preeminent I can call upon it as the missing ingredient for my work to be recognized.  If that does exist, I tend to think it is likely not as much a quality of the work, as it is a matter of other things I do not have control over, and I don't think any of that is a matter for me to worry about anyway.  It would be nice to feel more supported, or to feel that I could rely upon those who were once there for me, but I know that is not the reality at this moment, and it is not anything I can change.  I think I should be able to rely upon my work, and if I cannot, that is a far deeper problem.

At the moment, I am attempting to see what I can do in order to, perhaps, create work that is more desired at present.  It feels a bit dirty, if I am honest, but I am hoping that it more a matter of just focusing the work a bit, and not really attempting to push myself towards a popular route.  I think that is a dangerous thing, and it scares me, a bit.  I don't think Freesia, in any way, had any intent in that direction.  I think it is my own considerations that put me in the mind of thought that I am discussing.  It is a difficult situation, though: I want my work to be seen and recognized, so I need to write work that gets accepted, but if I have to change so much it is not the work I am hoping to create, what is accepted won't really be my work anyway.  

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